Soccer: Drinks trolley sidelines German star

An aeroplane drinks trolley has forced new Manchester City signing Jerome Boateng onto the sidelines, delaying his debut in the English Premier League.

The German international, who signed with City before the World Cup in South Africa, injured his left knee during a friendly against Denmark.

To make matters worse the injury was aggravated when a drinks trolley crashed into his knee during a recent flight, the BBC reports.

"I imagined my start at City to be quite different, of course," the 22-year-old told German website Sport1.

Boateng, who signed with City from German club Hamburg for $NZ27.5m, faces a further month on the sidelines and will also miss Euro 2012 qualifiers.

Freak soccer injuries:

* England defender Rio Ferdinand strained a tendon when he rested his leg on a coffee table for a number of hours during the 2001 season.

* Spanish keeper Santiago Canizares missed out on the 2002 World Cup after dropping a bottle of aftershave on his foot, causing serious damage to a tendon.

* Former Aston Villa striker Darius Vassell missed several matches in 2003 after he drilled through his toe nail with a home power drill.

* Former England and Arsenal goalie David Seaman pulled a muscle in his back while bending down and attempting to record Coronation Street on his VCR.

* Danish keeper Michael Stensgaard had a career-ending shoulder injury while folding down an ironing board.

- NZHERALD STAFF