Soccer player gets €2.2m after surgeon ruined career

SOCCER player was awarded £1.5 million (€2.2m) yesterday after suing a surgeon for ruining his career.

Former West Brom midfielder Michael Appleton, 31, claimed for loss of earnings after unnecessary knee surgery ended his Premiership hopes.

A high court judge in Manchester awarded the compensation — thought to be one of biggest payouts to a British footballer — after surgeon Mr Medhat El-Safty admitted he should not have operated.

At the hearing in January to decide the level of damages, Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson and two of his players, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville, said Mr Appleton had great potential as a footballer.

The midfielder injured his right posterior cruciate ligament during training in November 2001 — the season before West Brom was promoted to the top league.

He failed to recover from the subsequent surgery and was finally forced to retire in 2003, without getting a shot at the Premiership.

Mr Appleton said yesterday: “I am relieved finally to have received judgment and to be able to put this chapter of my life behind me.”

Expert witnesses told Mr Justice Christopher Clarke that Mr Appleton could have earned over £500,000 (€738,000) a year had he recovered and played as a top flight footballer.

The court heard Mr Appleton’s career would have probably lasted until 2009.

His solicitor Chris Pugh said: “It is a measure of Michael’s standing in the game that so many leading figures in football were eager to come and give evidence on his behalf.”

Mr Appleton is now the assistant academy manager at West Bromwich Albion.