"Marca" wrote an article that the football world is facing a player health crisis caused by the tight schedule, and the injury of Barcelona 18-year-old Yamal has become the latest warning signal. According to the report of the Internationa...
"Marca" wrote an article that the football world is facing a player health crisis caused by the tight schedule, and the injury of Barcelona 18-year-old Yamal has become the latest warning signal.
According to the report of the International Federation of Professional Football Players (FIFPRO), Yamal has played 130 professional games at the age of 18, with a total of 9,772 minutes, and his playing time is almost twice that of Iniesta and Xavi during his same age, and even 31% more than Bellingham, which was previously regarded as an extreme case.
In fact, he had to stick with the game by getting a closed shot. His injury triggered a public debate between Barcelona coach Flick and Spanish national team coach Dela Fuente, who accused the national team of "not caring for players." The
report reveals the severity of the problem with a large amount of data. Valverde played 72 games in the 2024/25 season, of which 81% had less than five days off. Rodri played 135 games in the two seasons of 2022-2024, far exceeding the experts' recommendations of 55 games per year, which eventually led to a cruciate ligament rupture and a 235-day quit. At the age of 22, Pedri had played 55 consecutive games in a season that lacked enough recovery. Other players such as Kim Min-jae (20 games in 73 days), 39-year-old Modric (76 games in the season) and Ashraf (69 games in the season) are also under huge loads. The root of the problem lies in the growing schedule and the lack of adequate rest. Experts suggest that there should be 28 days of holidays between the season, but after the 2024 European Cup, only 14% of the players were satisfied, and only 9% after the Copa America.
Red Bull Salzburg and Paris Saint-Germain have only 8 days and 7 days off respectively. In addition, frequent long-distance travel has also aggravated the fatigue of players. For example, Australian goalkeeper Matthew Ryan flew 169,000 kilometers in a single season and Onana flew 127,000 kilometers.
Although the scientific community has proposed solutions such as mandatory rest periods, FIFA, UEFA and national leagues are still increasing their games, and the ultimate price is borne by the players' bodies.
