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The modern game places great demand on players, especially the ones who ply their trades in Europe's top clubs. Apart from league football, these players are also involved in various domestic and European cup competitions.
Fixture pile-up is not a new problem; it is faced by all top clubs in the game who play anywhere between 50 to 60 games in a season, with their top players expected to feature in most of these games if not all. Throw international football commitments to the mix, and players can have their hands full, especially in a COVID-19-ravaged year that has further shrunk the football calendar.
Nevertheless, despite these challenges, most modern-day football players are the epitomes of supreme fitness and longevity. Not counting friendlies or pre-season games, these players typically play close to 50 games for club and country in a season.
Top ten undroppable players for club and country
Most top players feature in both club and international football and are an integral part in both set-ups. On that note, let us have a look at ten such players who are virtually 'undroppable' for club and country.
#10 Andrew Robertson (Liverpool/Scotland)
Along with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andrew Robertson forms one of the most potent full-back partnerships in club football. Last season, the two marauding full-backs produced 12 and 13 assists respectively as Liverpool won their first league title in three decades.
Robertson doesn't score too many goals - he has scored only five times in 136 games for Liverpool since arriving at the club in 2017 - but he provides a truckload of assists. The 26-year-old has provided 28 of his 32 assists in the Premier League and is undoubtedly Jurgen Klopp's first-choice left-back at the club.
For Scotland as well, Robertson is a key player as he has appeared in 38 games in various competitions for his side. Incredibly, the player is yet to provide an assist in international football but has three goals to his name.
#9 Son Heung-Min (Tottenham Hotspur/South Korea)
Son Heung-Min is in the form of his life. The left-winger has already netted ten times in just nine appearances for Tottenham Hotspur this season as he struck up a lethal partnership with Harry Kane up front.
He has been an integral part of the Spurs set-up for a while, scoring 95 times and providing 51 assists in 238 games since arriving at the club in 2015. However, this season, Son Heung-Min has taken it up a notch and has become an undroppable player for Jose Mourinho.
The Spurs player has been less prolific in international football - scoring only 26 times in 89 appearances for South Korea - but remains one of the few players in his country's set-up who ply their trade at a top-five league club in Europe.
#8 Toni Kroos (Real Madrid/Germany)
Toni Kroos has made a name for himself since arriving at Real Madrid in the summer of 2014.
The German midfielder is renowned for his passing range, creativity and goal-creating ability while also possessing an accurate shot from distance. Kroos doesn't score a lot of goals in club football - he has scored just 19 times in almost 300 games for Real Madrid - but has conjured goal-scoring opportunities aplenty - 68 of them to be exact.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup winner, who can don a plethora of roles in midfield, has made exactly 100 appearances for four-time world champions Germany and remains one of the key players under Joachim Löw's revamped set-up.
#7 Kylian Mbappe (Paris St. Germain/France)
One of the best young players in the world, 21-year-old Kylian Mbappe has already left an indelible mark in both club and international football since breaking into the scene a few seasons ago.
Touted to be one of the all-time greats in the sport, Mbappe is already a three-time Ligue 1 winner with Paris St. Germain, for whom he has averaged more than a goal contribution per game - 1.17 to be exact (96 goals and 51 assists in 131 appearances).
Even in France colours, the youngster has been in sizzling form. At the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Mbappe became the first teenager to score in a World Cup final since a certain Pele in 1958. A tally of 16 goals and 12 assists in just 38 games for Les Bleus is an indicator of his pedigree with the Les Bleus squad.
#6 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich/Poland)
Arguably the hottest striker in world football at the moment, Robert Lewandowski has been Bayern Munich's mean goalscoring machine for a while now.
The prolific marksman plundered 34 goals in the Bundesliga last season as Bayern Munich overcame an indifferent start to the season to romp to their eighth consecutive title in the competition. Lewandowski was also lethal in the Champions League as his 15 goals helped the Bavarian giants to their second continental treble.
Lewandowski has already scored ten goals in just five Bundesliga games this season. He has also scored goals aplenty for Poland- 63 in 114 appearances to be exact - which makes him an absolutely indispensable player for both club and country.
#5 Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid/Spain)
Sergio Ramos has been a standout performer for club and country for a while now and is one of the world's premier goal-scoring defenders.
Widely considered as one of the best centre-backs in the game despite his chequered disciplinary record, Ramos also assumed penalty-taking responsibilities for Real Madrid since the departure of the club's record goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo.
Last season, Ramos formed a formidable defensive partnership with Raphael Varane as Real Madrid won their first La Liga title in three years. Apart from his defensive responsibilities, Ramos also excelled up front, scoring 11 goals.
The two-time European Championship and FIFA World Cup winner has also excelled in Spain colours. With 175 appearances, the Spain captain is his country's most-capped player, and his 23 goals place him in a creditable seventh place in La Furia Roja's all-time goalscorers list.
Since missing his third and latest penalty for club and country, the Spanish player has not missed a spot-kick in 24 attempts. Simply put, he is more than an indispensable player for Spain and Real Madrid.
#4 Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan/Italy)
Gianluigi Donnarumma may be only 21 years old but he already has five years of senior football experience under his belt.
The lanky shot-stopper is widely regarded as one of the best young goalkeepers in the game, with many likening his game with that of his namesake Gianluigi Buffon.
Donarumma, who has developed a particular reputation for saving penalties, has kept an impressive 77 clean sheets in 211 appearances in all competitions for AC Milan, a tally that includes 61 clean sheets in five Serie A seasons.
Even in Italy colours, the Rossoneri player has impressed, shutting out the opposition in nine of the 20 games he has appeared in, which makes him an integral player for both club and country.
#3 Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool/Netherlands)
Virgil Van Dijk has transformed Liverpool's fortunes since arriving at the club in the summer of 2017.
The no-nonsense centre-back is renowned for his strength, positional awareness, tackling ability and impeccable reading of the game. Van Dijk is one of the shining exponents of a goalscoring defender as he also pops up at the other end and scores vital goals, thanks to his impressive aerial prowess.
Touted as one of the best active ball-playing centre-backs in the game, Van Dijk scored five goals last season as Liverpool won their first league title last season.
The Netherlands captain is also the leader of the rearguard with his national team, for whom he has scored four times in 38 games in various competitions since his international debut for the Oranje six years ago.
A fixture in both international and club football, the Dutch player did not miss a Premier League game since the start of the 2018-19 season before suffering an injury in the Merseyside Derby that has ruled him out for a few weeks.
#2 Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina)
Lionel Messi is arguably one of the greatest players to have graced the game.
During an illustrious career for club and country, the diminutive Argentinian has scored goals and broken records galore and is still going strong more than one-and-a-half decades after making his professional debut.
One of the last vestiges of the true one-club man, Messi is the all-time top-scorer in La Liga, Barcelona and Argentina history. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner has won ten La Liga and four Champions League titles among a host of other domestic and international honours.
Even though success has been elusive in Argentina colours, Lionel Messi has been the best player in the Albiceleste set-up for quite a while.
The player has featured in a World Cup final and three Copa America title matches, coming out second-best on each occasion, for an Argentina team that is heavily dependent on their captain for creativity and inspiration.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus/Portugal)
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players to have played the beautiful game of football.
During an illustrious career for club and country, Ronaldo has been the epitome of sustained excellence and longevity. The all-time top-scorer in Real Madrid, Champions League and Portugal history is one of a select few players to have won league titles in three different top-five European leagues.
After moving to Juventus in the summer of 2018 at the seemingly ripe old age of 33, Ronaldo continues to rack in the goals for the Bianconeri as he recently scored his 50th Serie A goal for the Italian giants while winning successive Scudetto titles for them.
The Euro 2016 winner has also shone in Portugal colours, for whom he has scored an astounding 101 goals to become the first European player and second overall to conjure 100 senior international goals.
To put it quite simply, when the Portuguese player is not on the field, his sides - be it Juventus or Portugal - massively miss his presence.
