Louis Tomlinson, singer-songwriter and former member of One Direction, was left puking on the side of the pitch at Celtic Park in September 2013, after then-Aston Villa forward Gabby Agbonlahor smashed into him with a heavy challenge.
Tomlinson and Agbonlahor were playing in a charity game organised to raise money for the Stiliyan Petrov Cancer Foundation, the former Celtic and Aston Villa midfielder who retired from professional football in May 2013 having been diagnosed with leukaemia.
After being left hobbling from the challenge, Tomlinson left the field of play prematurely. Speaking to FourFourTwo, the former One Direction band member explains his recollection of the incident.
"I was playing in a charity match at Celtic Park. I got the ball and turned to my right, then Gabby Agbonlahor came through the back of me and I tore my medial ligament," Tomlinson tells FFT.
"A combination of the impact and me being very unfit meant I ended up throwing up all over Celtic’s stadium, which I know will please a lot of Rangers supporters."
The tackle consequently caused One Direction fans to bombard Agbonlahor with abuse on Twitter, which ultimately brought an apology from him.
"It was one of those things," Agbonlahor said after the game. "I'll apologise to Louis when we meet up.
"I know he enjoyed playing in the game and it's fantastic that he took time out to be here."
On the day, Tomlinson played for the Celtic XI, while Agbonlahor turned out for the Stiliyan Petrov XI. The latter team won 5-3 in front of a 60,000 capacity crowd at Celtic Park, but the injury Tomlinson sustained affected him further in his football career.
Indeed, at the start of the 2013/14 season, Tomlinson's hometown club Doncaster Rovers signed him on non-contract terms after impressing in another charity game at the Keepmoat Stadium.
He was set to make his debut for Doncaster's reserve team in a Central League fixture against the Scunthorpe United reserve team a week after playing in the Stiliyan Petrov charity game.
However, tearing his medial ligament meant he couldn't play in the game, leaving thousands of fans who had specifically bought tickets for the match disappointed. Eventually, the club confirmed he would make his debut six months later, in February 2014, in a reserve team game against Rotherham.
