World Football: Heroes of 2010

The highs and lows of 2010 have been extreme to put it mildly. From gun toting separatists in Africa last January to an Octopus called Paul in June and possibly the greatest team of all time in November, 2010 has been a year to remember, or forget depending upon which team you follow.


Here, we look at some of the heroes of the last 12 months. Some stories have been covered by every media outlet under the sun and some have just slipped past their mighty radars.

However, each and every one is just as important as each other as they thread a careful weave through the labyrinthine tapestry that is the footballing year of 2010.

Everton's Shane Duffy Almost Dies After a Freak Accident on Ireland Duty

18-year-old Everton defender Shane Duffy almost died in an Ireland developmental squad practice match on Friday night after his liver was lacerated following an innocuous clash with goalkeeper Adrian Walsh.

The friendly was put together to allow Giovani Trappatoni time to assess his newest members of the squad before Ireland take on Algeria and Paraguay next week.

What makes the accident even harder to bear is that Duffy has yet to receive his papers which would allow the Everton youngster to play for Ireland following a massive diplomatic row between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.