Imaging of sports lesions in soccer players

Soccer is one of the world’s most popular sports, but is physically demanding and acute and overuse injuries occur rather frequently. It is a typical low-extremity sport, with the lower limb region most frequently injured. Through a structured approach focused on injury epidemiology, relevant anatomy, mechanism, and appearance on medical imaging, the radiologist can gain familiarity with the common and important injuries experienced by soccer players and in turn assist the player and referring clinician towards the goal of appropriate treatment and timely return to play. This chapter reviews the most commonly observed and most important injuries in soccer players.