- Published
Sam Hutchinson played under both Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea, set up a goal for Frank Lampard, and was in Munich on the historic night they won the Champions League for the first time in 2012.
His time at Chelsea, however, was "filled with regret and what might have been" after a chronic knee injury so nearly ended his career before it had properly started.
A product of Chelsea's youth system, Hutchinson was a promising defender on the fringes of the first team when he was diagnosed with a chondral defect (a hole in his right knee) after suffering a serious injury during a reserve game at Aston Villa.
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he → publish → Villa
Having joined Chelsea as a seven-year-old, made his first-team debut at 17 under Mourinho and captained England at Under-19s level, Hutchinson took the gut-wrenching decision to retire at the age of 21 in 2010 after struggling to recover.
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Hutchinson → join → 2010
A period of depression followed for the young player, who had been identified by Mourinho as a bright prospect.
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who → follow → prospect
"I had already played for the first team and Mourinho had said some encouraging things about me in interviews," he says.
"
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he → play → interviews
Then the injury happened and everything fell apart.
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everything → happen → ?
"After I retired I was in a bad place with dark thoughts."
Hutchinson sought help for his depression.
"Unless you get help, you never know how bad you are," he tells BBC Sport.
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he → retire → Sport
"Even telling this story, it's like therapy.
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it → tell → therapy
"It's like the old saying - a problem shared is a problem halved.
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problem → share → saying
If you're suffering in silence, it's not going to help."
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it → suffer → silence
After receiving treatment at the Priory, and with his damaged knee finally fixed, Hutchinson came out of retirement in December 2011 to re-sign for Chelsea.
More injuries followed but despite being limited to six senior Chelsea appearances, he has gone on to have a fulfilling career.
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he → receive → career
Hutchinson played 200-plus games in the Championship, most notably for Sheffield Wednesday, where fans remember him fondly.
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fans → play → him
In addition to overseas spells in the Netherlands with Vitesse Arnhem and in Cyprus with Pafos, he has also turned out for Nottingham Forest, Reading and AFC Wimbledon.
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he → turn → Forest
Sixteen years after fearing his career was over for good, the father-of-three is still playing the game he loves at the age of 37.
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he → fear → 37
This summer Hutchinson signed a two-year contract with non-league Farnham Town - after surviving a major health scare.
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Hutchinson → sign → scare
A date etched in the memories of AFC Wimbledon fans after their side won promotion to League One by beating Walsall at Wembley in the play-off final.
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side → etch → final
It was Hutchinson's winner at Grimsby three weeks earlier that ensured the Dons made the play-offs.
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Dons → ensure → offs
He did not know it at the time but the defender-turned-midfielder would not start another game for 11 months after scoring at Blundell Park.
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defender → know → Park
"Throughout the first half my chest was getting increasingly tighter and I was in so much pain," recalls Hutchinson about that game at Grimsby.
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Hutchinson → get → Grimsby
"I felt dizzy and my hands started sweating.
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hands → feel → ?
"I was rapidly going downhill but then our centre-back won a great header, the keeper tipped it on to the bar, and it dropped down to me to tap over the line.
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it → go → line
"
While AFC Wimbledon's travelling fans celebrated the goal wildly, Hutchinson felt so unwell his only thoughts were finishing the game and making it home to his wife and three children.
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thoughts → travel → wife
It would be several days, however, before he returned to the family home in Ascot.
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he → return → Ascot
On the journey back to London, his condition deteriorated to such an extent that a decision was taken to divert the team coach to a hospital in Nottingham so he could receive treatment.
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he → deteriorate → treatment
After tests Hutchinson was quickly transferred to a nearby cardiac unit.
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Hutchinson → transfer → unit
"I was put me in the back of an ambulance and I remember hearing the blues and twos," he recalls.
"My blood levels had spiked so much, I was in a really bad way.
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I → put → way
A couple of the paramedics knew who I was because I had played for Nottingham Forest a few years earlier.
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I → know → Forest
They said: 'You can thank us later for saving your life.'
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You → say → life
I was told I'd had a heart attack."
Hutchinson spent the next five days in hospital and had successful heart surgery.
"
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Hutchinson → tell → surgery
A branch of an artery was blocked 75%.
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branch → block → artery
I had an angiogram, external and had a stent put in by a specialist.
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stent → have → specialist
The one thing that the professor - who had looked after both Tom Lockyer and Christian Eriksen – said was my situation was nothing like theirs.
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situation → look → theirs
"It was a blockage and it was all fixed, there was no need for a defibrillator to be fitted."
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defibrillator → fix → ?
John Terry, his former Chelsea team-mate, was among those who reached out to Hutchinson during his recovery, while the player was well enough to visit Wembley to watch AFC Wimbledon win promotion.
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Wimbledon → reach → promotion
A month later the Dons announced he had signed a one-year contract extension after being given the all-clear to train again.
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he → announce → clear
However, Hutchinson was limited to just a handful of appearances in 2025-26 and in May - 12 months after that game at Grimsby - it was announced he would be leaving at the age of 36.
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he → limit → 36
"Sam played a pivotal role in getting us over the line, not only with that iconic goal at Grimsby but his performances leading up to that," said an AFC Wimbledon statement, external announcing his departue.
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statement → play → departue
Some may have decided it was the perfect time to retire from playing after what he had been through.
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he → decide → what
Hutchinson, though, had other ideas.
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Hutchinson → have → ideas
'I need heart surgery when I stop playing'
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I → need → surgery
It's the opening day of the National League South season and Surrey-based Farnham Town are at home to AFC Totton in their first ever game in the sixth tier of English football.
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Town → base → football
…and 16 more, not listed.
The Aporia
