The former Manchester City player left his wife in tears after suffering a horror injury

According to The Mirror, the Irishman was the victim of a very hard tackle from an opponent, which broke his leg. The terrible sound heard from the pitch and the athlete's distress, as well as the reaction of the other players, reflected the seriousness of the injury, which led to the game being stopped and an ambulance being called to take Stephen Ireland to hospital.

Stephen Ireland broke his leg in a veterans match

The midfielder's wife Jess broke down in tears following the horrific injury and thanked everyone present, especially the paramedics: “Thank you to everyone at the game today who helped in one way or another. It was a very distressing and shocking moment but the care and unity shown made a huge difference.”

Without clarifying the severity of the injury, veterans' club Wythenshawe Vets issued a statement saying the player was “extremely grateful for the support”.

Stephen Ireland started his career in his native Ireland at the Cobh club and at the age of 15 he chose to go to Manchester City's academy in 2001.

The midfielder's debut for the “citizens” came in 2005 and he played for Manchester City until 2010, ticking off 175 matches in all competitions, 23 goals and 25 assists.

In the summer of 2010, Aston Villa paid €9.7 million for the Irish midfielder, but he was loaned out to Newcastle in the second half of that season.

Ireland returned to the formation in Birmingham, for which he performed for another season and a half, being then initially loaned, after which he was permanently transferred to Stoke City. Out of contract in the summer of 2018, Stephen Ireland signed for Bolton in October of that year, but the midfielder did not make a single appearance and subsequently retired.