Today’s game has become all about endurance as players play as many as 50 games for their club in a season in all competitions. To top it off, they also play about 10 games for their international teams – more so if there is a summer tournament.
It’s no wonder then that club football managers subtly beg and plead with their international team counterparts to use their star players sparingly. It isn’t a one-way street, though. International team managers also have their say on how exhausted players are when the international break comes around.
However, there are some players who have managed to keep themselves fit and play at their peak throughout the course of an entire season. They are a manager’s dream and their levels of fitness are what young players should aspire to.
Remember, the European seasons officially begins on 1 July of every year (which is why most contracts are till 30 June which signifies the end of a season). So which player has played the most minutes in the 2016/17 season?
Data courtesy: CIES Football Observatory
#20 – #16
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo is usually the benchmark for player fitness. The Portuguese forward rarely gets injured and if he does it is usually through no fault of his own. In recent years, we rarely ever see him clutching his hamstring or asking to be substituted.
But this season has seen Zinedine Zidane manage his minutes towards the end of the season mainly because they wanted to defend the Champions League title. As a result, Ronaldo is 21st on the list.
| # | PLAYER | CLUB | MATCHES | MINUTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Benedikt Howedes | Schalke 04 | 52 | 4,672 |
| 19 | David De Gea | Manchester United | 52 | 4,680 |
| 18 | Diego Godin | Atletico Madrid | 55 | 4,745 |
| 17 | Edinson Cavani | Paris Saint-Germain | 57 | 4,750 |
| 16 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 56 | 4,814 |
David De Gea is only 18th on the list even though most goalkeepers on average play the entire season without injury. However, he has been rested in the Europa League by Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho as Sergio Romero took his place between the sticks.
In 17th is Edinson Cavani who has been liberated at PSG following the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Uruguayan striker scored 35 league goals – eclipsed only by Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi with 37.
The Argentine forward is only 16th on the list but ahead of fellow La Liga star Diego Godin who was ever-present for Atletico despite their myriad of injuries throughout the season.
#15 – #11
Toni Kroos was the engine and heartbeat of Real Madrid’s midfield as they won the double and he is 15th on the list. Although he played fewer games than most at the top of this list, he did play the full 90 minutes. However, he played only 89 minutes of the Champions League final – a wise move by Zidane as the German got his own round of applause before the final whistle for a season well played.
| # | PLAYER | CLUB | MATCHES | MINUTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Toni Kroos | Real Madrid | 55 | 4,815 |
| 14 | Alexis Sanchez | Arsenal | 58 | 4,854 |
| 13 | Gonzalo Higuain | Juventus | 60 | 4,857 |
| 12 | Anthony Lopes | Lyon | 54 | 4,875 |
| 11 | Yann Sommer | Borussia M'gladbach | 54 | 4,890 |
In 14th is Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez who is akin to a machine, the Duracell bunny that never stops working, and it comes as no surprise that he finds himself on this list. Despite Arsene Wenger’s insistence on resting him (and “punishing” him in the loss to Liverpool), the Chilean forward managed to play all 38 league games (only two as a substitute) for his 24 goals and 10 assists – the only Premier League player to finish in double figures for both.
Gonzalo Higuain was bought by Juventus for a record fee to help them deliver the Champions League. He almost made it happen as The Old Lady fell at the final hurdle. Nevertheless, the Argentine forward’s fitness helped them seal a domestic double as they won the Serie A title and the Coppa Italia.
#10 – #6
The other two wheels of Barcelona’s MSN trio are in the top 10 but failed to make the cut for the top five. Luis Suarez just missed out on clocking 5,000 minutes of football this season.
The Uruguayan striker was second on the La Liga goalscoring charts with 29 goals – eight goals behind Messi. It wasn’t his most prolific season in front of goal but and he even missed out on the Copa del Rey final win due to suspension.
World record signing Paul Pogba was brought to Old Trafford for £89.3m and he managed to deliver in his first season back at the club. Mourinho deployed plenty of players in midfield to find the right combination but Pogba was the constant.
| # | PLAYER | CLUB | MATCHES | MINUTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Jemerson de Jesus | AS Monaco | 54 | 4,918 |
| 9 | Luis Suarez | Barcelona | 58 | 4,920 |
| 8 | Marquinhos Aoas | Paris Saint-Germain | 58 | 5,089 |
| 7 | Paul Pogba | Manchester United | 60 | 5,143 |
| 6 | Neymar Jr | Barcelona | 58 | 5,153 |
Pogba was also a crucial member of the France squad that reached the Euro 2016 final last summer, finishing the season with 60 games under his belt.
Neymar missed out on the top five literally by just one half of football. He was the only other player to notch double digits for goals and assists in La Liga (apart from Suarez and Pablo Piatti of Espanyol but put in one of the finest individual performances of the season in the epic comeback against Paris Saint-Germain to overcome a 4-0 first leg deficit.
Also read: All rise for Prince Neymar, the imperfect heir to Messi's throne at Barcelona
#5 – #1
Two of AS Monaco’s back-line players are in the top five courtesy of their participation in four different competitions and their Champions League run that took them to the semi-finals. Centre-back Kamil Glik and goalkeeper Danijel Subasic clocked 5,190 minutes and 5,250 minutes respectively. PSG may have won the other three domestic cups but Monaco won the big one – the Ligue 1 title.
Leicester City’s Wilfried Ndidi was seen as the replacement for N’Golo Kante who had gone to Chelsea (where he won the Premier League title again) and though he was never going to be an upgrade on the PFA Player of the Year, the 20-year-old has shown the potential to be something bigger when he matures and finds his peak later in his career.
Ndidi’s game time at Leicester, Belgian club Genk and Nigeria saw the youngster clock 5,290 minutes in total – good enough only for second place, sandwiched between two Atletico Madrid players.
| # | PLAYER | CLUB | MATCHES | MINUTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Kamil Glik | AS Monaco | 58 | 5,190 |
| 4 | Danijel Subasic | AS Monaco | 58 | 5,250 |
| 3 | Koke Resurreccion | Atletico Madrid | 62 | 5,274 |
| 2 | Wilfred Ndidi | Leicester City | 61 | 5,290 |
| 1 | Antoine Griezmann | Atletico Madrid | 63 | 5,454 |
Rojiblancos Koke and Antoine Griezmann are seasoned players and by the looks of it have played non-stop this season. Both players featured in 36 La Liga games and 12 Champions League matches each as they reached the semi-finals before falling to Real.
Griezmann tops the list following his run to the Euro 2016 final as well where the French striker won the Golden Boot even as France lost the final to Portugal. But to clock nearly 5,500 minutes with France and Atletico (where one plays at full throttle for most of the game) is a testament to his stamina and endurance this season.
