Footballers are usually taken out by rough tackles, muscle pulls, or the occasional freak accident. But Bolton Wanderers striker Victor Adeboyejo? He’s sidelined because of a sneeze. Yep, you read that right. A mighty, rib-rattling sneeze.

You can’t make this stuff up.

The 26-year-old forward was set to play in a match against Barrow when he pulled out at the last minute. His manager, Ian Evatt, broke the news, explaining that Adeboyejo had been dealing with a back injury, and, of all things, a “pretty hefty sneeze” made it worse. Apparently, the sneeze was so intense it set off something nasty in his back and ribs. Because when Victor sneezes, he doesn’t mess around.

“He’s a powerful boy, even his sneezes are powerful,” Evatt joked, clearly trying to lighten up an otherwise ridiculous situation.

But all jokes aside, the injury isn’t trivial. After feeling a crack between his ribs, Adeboyejo had to undergo scans to see what’s really going on. The Bolton team hopes it’s just a cartilage or muscle issue, but they’re waiting on those results to figure out if more serious damage has been done.

Bolton’s Bad Luck

This couldn’t have come at a worse time. Bolton’s squad was already stretched thin with injuries and players away on international duty. Adeboyejo, one of their key strikers, sitting out because of a sneeze just adds to the list of headaches for manager Ian Evatt.

But even without him, Bolton managed to scrape together a 3-2 win against Barrow. Still, they’ve been having a rough season so far, sitting 18th in League One with only four points from their first four games. Things are definitely not going as planned.

Football Injuries Are Weird

Footballers are used to taking hits, but this might be one of the strangest injuries to come out of the sport. According to Evatt, Adeboyejo initially got hurt during a game against Charlton, but things didn’t seem too serious. Then came the sneeze that took it all downhill.

It’s a reminder that athletes, no matter how strong and tough they are, are still human. A simple sneeze can do as much damage as a bad tackle.

Waiting for Results

Now, Bolton is playing the waiting game. The team hopes Adeboyejo’s injury isn’t as serious as it sounds. After all, no one wants to see a player benched because of something so absurd. But ribs and backs are tricky, and if there’s damage, he could be out for longer than anyone expected.

In the meantime, Bolton will have to figure things out without one of their top players. Hopefully, Adeboyejo can recover quickly and return to the pitch—sneeze-free.

Let’s just hope the next time someone in the locker room sneezes, they’ll be a little more careful.