Former Premier League Striker Wins £7m Lawsuit After Court Rules Surgery Ended His Career
Former Premier League striker Sylvan Ebanks-Blake has won a court case worth more than £7 million against a surgeon after a procedure later ruled unnecessary brought his top-flight career to an abrupt end.
Ebanks-Blake, now 39, underwent surgery in 2013 after suffering a lower leg fracture while playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers. He later argued that an additional operation carried out during his treatment was unnecessary, caused lasting damage, and ultimately ended his career at the highest level.
Following the injury, the former England Under-21 international slipped down the English football league system before retiring in 2019 after sustaining another leg fracture while playing non-league football.
He sued his surgeon, Professor James Calder, seeking damages in excess of £7 million. On Thursday, Mrs Justice Lambert ruled in his favour, entitling him to compensation, with the final amount to be determined at a later hearing.
In her judgment, the judge said it was “neither reasonable nor logical” to perform the additional procedure on a patient who had been pain-free at the time.
Ebanks-Blake began his youth career at Manchester United before rising through the lower leagues to establish himself at Wolves, where he scored 64 goals in 193 appearances between 2007 and 2013.
The court heard that during treatment for the fracture, Professor Calder also performed an arthroscopy on Ebanks-Blake’s ankle, removing cartilage and carrying out a microfracture procedure on the underlying bone. The surgeon argued that the cartilage issue could have worsened if left untreated.
However, lawyers for the former striker maintained that the procedure caused stiffness and reduced movement in his left ankle, which had previously given him no problems.
After leaving Wolves, Ebanks-Blake joined Ipswich Town but continued to experience pain despite regular steroid injections. He eventually retired from professional football in 2019.
His barrister, Simeon Maskrey KC, told the court that the decision to stop playing was driven by ongoing pain and stiffness in the ankle, not the original fracture. He added that although surgery was recommended, the player had no symptoms at the time and the risks to an elite athlete outweighed any potential benefits.
Maskrey said the outcome of the operation was that Ebanks-Blake lost his career as a professional footballer and now requires ongoing physiotherapy and psychological support.
Representing the surgeon, Martin Forde KC denied any wrongdoing, arguing that the treatment would be supported by a responsible body of trauma and orthopaedic surgeons experienced in elite sports medicine.
Mrs Justice Lambert rejected that defence, ruling that the surgeon breached his duty of care by performing an arthroscopy on a previously symptom-free patient with only a modest acute ankle fracture.
She concluded that Ebanks-Blake’s ankle would likely have remained pain-free for three to five years, during which time he would have been capable of continuing to play football at a high level.
