I suffered freak injury at Tottenham and was left fighting for my life - I very nearly died

A seemingly innocuous injury left a former Tottenham player fighting for his life in hospital

This weekend's Premier League encounter between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur features numerous players who have represented both clubs. For Christian Ziege, however, his time at each side brings back both ups and downs.

The Germany international arrived at Liverpool in 2000 following a short spell at Middlesbrough. It wasn't the most enjoyable time, though, with the versatile former Bayern Munich player - capable of operating at left-back or in midfield - struggled for minutes during his Anfield stint and sought out pastures new after only 12 months.

His spell at Spurs proved more productive and the German delivered five league goals in his debut campaign at White Hart Lane. While he openly acknowledged his move to Liverpool was regrettable for footballing reasons, his Spurs tenure featured a frightening incident in December 2002 which almost proved fatal.

Ziege was playing for Spurs in a Boxing Day clash with Charlton, picking up a dead leg. His game only ended when he was shown a red card late on but things got complicated in the aftermath of the game.

FOLLOW OUR TOTTENHAM FB PAGE! Latest Spurs news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page

"I had a dead leg, no big deal. But my thigh was swelling and swelling," he would later tell The Mail. "I learned later that the blood was trapped between two skins, it had nowhere to go.

"I did not want to go to hospital, not at Christmas, but my wife insisted. Thank God she did. By the time we arrived I was unconscious. There was pressure on everything inside my body, I was fighting for my life.

"They opened the leg and it went down like a balloon. But it left a big hole, something went completely wrong. I still suffer now, but I am also lucky. Another 30 minutes and they would have cut off my leg to save me. In this moment, you realise that life is so much more than just a football game."

At the time, Spurs boss Glenn Hoddle anticipated being without Ziege for some time - the player would eventually return in May - but put things into context. "It's a big blow football-wise, but I'm not concerned about that," the manager said.

"First and foremost, it's his health that's more important. That will always come first in front of football. I would think it would be very difficult for him to return before the end of the season but the major thing is that he's okay."

Ziege, who had a tough spell at Liverpool before joining Spurs, suggested that Anfield switch was a mistake after manager Gerard Houllier appeared not to fancy him. His playing career didn't last much longer after his injury scare in 2002, though he played a couple of seasons with Spurs and Borussia Monchengladbach - even earning a Germany recall - before retiring in 2005 at the age of 33.

He subsequently took up coaching, staying with Gladbach in a variety of roles. He also held posts with Germany's youth teams and managed in Austria, Spain and Thailand before rejoining Gladbach's Under-17 setup earlier this year.