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Eduardo da Silva should have been out and about celebrating his 25th birthday today. Instead he lies in a hospital bed, the victim of a brief but vicious gladiatorial bout that would have been more familiar at the Colosseum than on the park at St Andrew’s.

He had much to look forward to in this summer’s European Championships and his adoptive Croatia’s World Cup qualifier against England in the autumn. But the tackle by Martin Taylor of Birmingham City on Saturday has left the Arsenal striker wondering if he will ever play football again.

Eduardo underwent surgery in Birmingham on Saturday and was transferred to a London hospital yesterday. His leg had been snapped so severely that his ankle dangled from his leg and a bone protruded from his sock.

Many television stations have deemed the replay of the incident too distressing to be shown again.

It was the latest of the unsporting challenges that have blighted this season and is reminiscent of the case of David Busst, the Coventry defender who had to retire from the game after a similar injury almost 12 years ago.

Managers have said that if players continued to jump into challenges with studs showing, one day a footballer’s career could be threatened. Taylor’s foul may have been more mistimed than malicious but it was a product of the pace of the modern game.

Alex McLeish, the Birmingham City manager, was dismayed but not surprised. “Every time you hear a clash of studs or impact of shin guards you think somebody’s leg is broken,” he said. “The way the game is played nowadays, the speed — unfortunately, injuries like that can happen.”

Arsène Wenger, the manager of Arsenal, said: “It goes along with the idea that to stop Arsenal you have to kick Arsenal. We knew that kind of thing would happen one day.” Arsenal are expected to make a statement about the condition and prognosis of their player today.

Eduardo, a naturalised Croat born in Brazil, can comfort himself with an encouraging precedent. In 2004 Djibril Cissé, then a Liverpool striker, fractured his tibia and fibula, raising fears that his career was over. But he was playing in six months.

Busst was less fortunate; as well as the fracture, a muscle exploded on the righthand side of the bone and, after surgeons had operated on his leg, he caught the MRSA superbug.

There had been advances in surgery since, Busst said. He added: “If Eduardo has had nothing like I had, and they’ve cleaned up the break, he could well play again.”

Eduardo said: “I couldn’t believe that my injury would have such an impact in the media and that I would get such a strong and unanimous support.

“At this moment I really need peace, especially immediately after the surgery. I want to get plenty of sleep and rest. There will be plenty of opportunity to speak in the days to come.”