The Impact of Anterior Shoulder Dislocation in Elite Soccer Goalkeepers

Background: Anterior shoulder dislocation is an injury that can impair a professional goalkeeper's career. However, few studies have examined return to play (RTP) after surgery in professional goalkeepers. Purpose: To assess the RTP, pre- and postinjury performances, and market value of professional goalkeepers who suffered a shoulder dislocation. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: Professional goalkeepers with a shoulder dislocation between 2011 and 2021 were included. Top European leagues were considered: Serie A (Italy), Premier League (England), Ligue 1 (France), LaLiga (Spain), and Bundesliga (Germany). Player age, height, position, injury history, RTP, and market value were retrieved from a publicly available website. The preinjury season (season −1), the injury season (season 0), and the 2 postinjury seasons (season +1 and season +2) were compared. Results: A total of 19 goalkeepers were included in the study with a mean age of 27.2 ± 5.22 years at the time of injury. All players underwent surgery. The mean RTP was 147.53 ± 64.23 days. The mean percentage minutes per season (MPS) in season −1 was 86.57% ± 13.89%, with a decrease to 37.34% ± 24.66% in the injury season and an increase to 72.72% ± 25.79% in season +1 and 62.69% ± 33.23% in season +2. Significant changes were found in MPS across the 4 analyzed seasons (P < .001). Post hoc comparisons revealed statistically significant differences between season −1 and season 0 (P < .001), season −1 and season +1 (P = .019), and season −1 and season +2 (P = .005). The difference between season +1 and season +2 was not statistically significant (P = .284). The mean market values were €7.13M ±€8.33M (season −1), €8.05M ±€8.25M (season 0), €8.71M ±€11.45M (season +1), and €11.47M ±€22.89M (season +2). Regarding market value, no significant differences were detected among the seasons (P = .285). All goalkeepers returned to play after the surgery, with 1 case (5.3%) at a lower level. Conclusion: All professional goalkeepers returned to play at a competitive level with a significant reduction in the percentage of available minutes played in the 2 seasons after surgery. However, this injury does not seem to influence the market value of these players.