Not many players are fortunate enough to play in a World Cup final. Those that do say it’s an experience they will never forget, unless you’re Germany’s Christoph Kramer who didn’t realise he was playing in one. 

Kramer collided with Argentina defender Ezequiel Garay during the first half of Germany’s 1-0 victory over Argentina and appeared dazed and confused but played on for a further 14 minutes before slumping to the ground with a suspected concussion.  

But moments after the incident, the German midfielder asked referee Nicola Rizzoli “Is this the final?” and despite Rizzoli informing Bastian Schweinsteiger about the question, Kramer was allowed to continue running around until he physically fell to the floor.

Regardless of the context of the game, Kramer should have been taken off as a precaution because he clearly wasn’t in the right condition to continue playing in the final.

The issue here is, he wasn’t the only player to play on in Brazil after taking a heavy knock to the head.

Both Javier Mascherano and Pablo Zabaleta continued to play after receiving a heavy blow to the head in their semi-final victory over the Netherlands.

Uruguay defender Alvaro Pereira was seen arguing with medical staff who tried to take him off after he was knocked unconscious in the group stage game against England. 

His willingness to carry on was applauded by fans and commentators and while it is understandable why any of these players would want to fight for their country and continue the match, there needs to be a rule forcing teams to take off players who take a heavy blow to the head.

The famous image of Paul Ince and Terry Butcher with bandages over their head and covered in blood is often shown as a sign of them being tough players but I see it as as a sign of stupidity.

If a player has his head split open during the game, that player should be sent to hospital immediately to check for brain damage or at least taken off to go have a lie down for a few hours.

Head injuries are no joke, just ask Petr Cech. The Chelsea goalkeeper has to wear a rugby helmet after suffering a fractured skull during a match against Reading in 2008. 

The issue of head injuries was raised earlier on in the Premier League season when Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was knocked unconscious during a match against Everton but played on.

Jose Mourinho at the time said: “There is no space for doubt, no space for question marks, no space for communication or lack of communication between player, doc, manager,” and I agree with him.

When it comes to a player going down after a head injury something has to change, even if a temporary substitution is allowed so the injured player can get a proper examination.

The last thing anyone wants to see is a player die on the pitch after the proper precautions were ignored because a player didn’t want to come across as weak.

The NFL has the right approach to head injuries. In a sport where concussions happen almost on a weekly basis, they are constantly changing the rules to protect players and last year agreed a $765 million (£448m) settlement over concussion-related injuries among retired players.

And while football doesn’t have such a big a problem with concussions, the lasting effects of them are serious enough that we can’t allow players to carry on if they are suspected to have suffered one.

Players’ union FIFPro are asking Fifa to change their rules on protocol for head injuries after the incidents at the World Cup. 

Let’s hope Sepp Blatter and co look into the situation and not put it on their ever-increasing to-do-list.

when James Rodriguez signed for Real Madrid yesterday for €80 million (£63m), he became the fourth most expensive signing in the history of football which is no big deal.

But when you add the transfer fees Madrid have paid for Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and the Colombian, their total — £265m — adds up to more than Dutch club Ajax have paid in transfer fees — roughly  £232m — since they formed back in 1900.

Fifa have been harping on about financial fair play but no-one is paying attention to it.

The big teams will continue to spend however much they want knowing that any punishment they do receive is unlikely to stop them playing in the Champions League and any fine will be considered peanuts.

Ajax are known fo producing their own players and have seen the likes of Clarence Seedorf, Dennis Bergkamp and Marco van Basten to name a few. 

Yet what does it matter when the big clubs can just write a blank cheque to get who they want.

Tottenham played out a 3-3 draw with US side Seattle Sounders on Saturday and while both teams played players that the fans knew, there was one unfamiliar face on the pitch.

Eighteen-year-old Xander Bailey is fighting cystic fibrosis and was granted his dream by the Make-a-Wish foundation to become a professional footballer with Seattle.

Bailey signed a professional contract with the club, was given a press conference and trained with the squad ahead of the friendly. 

He then kicked-off with Clint Dempsey and was given the freedom of the pitch by the Spurs players to shoot at goalkeeper Brad Friedel.

Bailey was subbed after the shot, to a huge round of applause by the crowd.