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The footballing schedule has undergone massive changes over the past few decades. We now have more tournaments than ever before, especially in European football.
It has thus become commonplace for managers to rant about the overload of fixtures, where regular starters for club and country play upwards of 60 games a season.
A case in point is Barcelona and Spain midfielder Pedri. If the Spanish Olympic team reaches the finals of the Tokyo Olympics, Pedri would have ended the season with 73 appearances under his belt.
The ability to consistently churn out solid performances in club and international football requires a high degree of physical and mental prowess. Only a select few can perform at an elite level over 70-odd matches.
On that note, let's take a look at five players who perform consistently for club and country:
#5 Mohamed Salah
The Liverpool forward is regarded as one of the best in the business in the modern game with impressive performances for club and country.
Mohamed Salah was a vital cog in Liverpool's 2018-19 Champions League triumph, followed by a Premier League title in the 2019-20 campaign. He won two successive Premier League Golden Boot accolades during his time at Anfield and was adjudged the PFA Player of the Year in 2018.
The Egyptian has been equally good for his national side. Salah has racked up a tally of 43 goals and 21 assists in 68 appearances for Egypt. His 5 goals in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying played a significant part in Egypt's first World Cup appearance in 28 years.
The Pharaoh recently became Egypt's second highest all-time goalscorer, but has quite some way to go before he catches up to Hossam Hassan's record of 69 goals.
#4 Gianluigi Donnarumma
The Euro 2020 Player of the Tournament is one of, if not the finest goalkeeper in world football at the moment.
Gianluigi Donnarumma became the youngest-ever debutant in Serie A history at the tender age of 16, when he donned the gloves for AC Milan in the 2015-16 season. Donnarumma has registered 251 appearances for the Rossoneri in his relatively short career, keeping an impressive 88 clean sheets.
However, the 22-year old is yet to make his debut on the biggest stage of European club football - the UEFA Champions League - but could soon do so at his new club, PSG.
Dubbed as the heir to Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon, the youngster stepped up to the fore in the recently-concluded Euro 2020. Donnarumma notched up three clean sheets and conceded just four goals in eight matches in the tournament.
The Italian shot-stopper further enhanced his stellar record in penalty shootouts in the recently concluded tournament. Donnarumma has now taken part in five penalty shootouts and maintains a 100% success rate in such scenarios.
The 22-year old has saved 18 of the 53 penalties he has encountered since his AC Milan debut in 2015.
#3 Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe is currently one of the brightest prospects in the footballing world and has been the most consistent performer in French football since making his professional debut in 2015.
Following a sparkling performance at the 2016 UEFA Euro U19 Championship, the Frenchman earned a call-up to the senior side in 2017. Mbappe represented France in his first major international tournament at the 2018 World Cup and was immensely critical to Les Bleus' memorable campaign.
Then-19-year-old Mbappe became the youngest goalscorer for France in a World Cup match, and his goal against Croatia in the World Cup finals made him only the second teenager to score in a WC final. The first one to do so was the legendary Pele against Sweden at the 1958 World Cup. The Frenchman would go on to score 4 goals and provide an assist from 7 appearances.
The 22-year old enjoyed one of his best seasons individually in club football during the 2020-21 campaign. In 47 appearances across all competitions last season, Mbappe was involved in 53 goals (42 goals, 11 assists). This included a hat-trick in the Round of 16 stage to knock Barcelona out of the 2020-21 Champions League campaign, followed by a brace against Bayern Munich in the quarters.
#2 Lionel Messi
After a tumultuous 2020-21 footballing season at Camp Nou, Lionel Messi finally laid hands on his first-ever international trophy for Argentina's senior side.
The Argentine wizard emerged as the tournament's joint top-scorer, with 4 goals to his name. Messi also chipped in with 5 assists, registering an involvement in 9 out of the 13 goals (69.2%) scored by Argentina in this year's Copa America. Prior to this, Albiceleste's iconic No. 10 guided the national team to three Copa America finals and one World Cup finals.
While the Copa America was Messi's first major trophy for the senior side, he has played a crucial role in Argentina's victory at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner is also one of the few elite footballers to have won an Olympic Gold, when he took home the medal at the 2008 Games in China.
In 151 appearances for Argentina, Messi has notched up an impressive tally of 76 goals and 53 assists. The 34-year old's exploits at Barcelona are well documented, where he holds the record for most appearances and most goals in the club's illustrious history. La Pulga has generated a stupendous return of 672 goals and 288 assists in 778 appearances for Blaugrana.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
The Portuguese superstar has arguably been the most consistent performer in club and international football over the past decade.
Cristiano Ronaldo has had an incredible return of 109 goals from 179 appearances for the national side and is currently joint-highest in the all-time international goalscorers' chart. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has been an exceptional leader for his country in the international arena, playing an indispensable role in Portugal's 2016 European glory. Ronaldo tallied three goals and as many assists from seven appearances at Euro 2016.
The 36-year has showcased a host of impressive performances for the national side, including hat-tricks against Sweden in a crucial World Cup qualifier and Switzerland in the Nations League semi-finals. Cristiano Ronaldo has also won every major accolade he's competed for in club football, when he represented some of the biggest European powerhouses such as Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus.
Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for most goals and assists, including a host of essential contributions in the Champions League's knockout stages. The five-time Champions League winner holds the distinction of being the most capped player in the CL knockout stages (34) and is also the highest goalscorer in CL finals (four).
Ronaldo has found himself on the scoresheet 25 times in 22 quarter-final appearances and 13 times in 21 semi-final encounters.
