August 1 – English Premier League (EPL) are the hardest ‘worked’ of any players in world football.
In a ranking of 1,500 of the world’s top players.dominating the ranking 11 of the top 20 players by club and national team appearances played in the EPL last term.
The trend intensified among the top 10, with eight hailing from the English top flight as a testament to the league’s punishing schedule and the international demands on the most successful players.
The ranking comes from a new Fifpro and Football Benchmark initiative – the Player Workload Monitoring (PWM) platform – is step forward in monitoring player welfare.
The tool offers in-depth data and visualisations for 1,500 male footballers.
In fact, 11 of the top 20 players by club and national team appearances played in the EPL last term. The trend intensifies among the top 10, with eight hailing from the English top flight as a testament to the league’s punishing schedule.
Stars such as Manchester City’s Phil Foden and Liverpool’s Luis Díaz, and Darwin Nuñez led the charts, each making 72 combined club and national team appearances last season.
In terms of total minutes played, Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr), William Saliba (Arsenal), Saud Abdulhamid (Al-Hilal), Declan Rice (Arsenal), and Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) all surpassed the 6,000-minute mark. Ronaldo topped the list with an average of 97 minutes per match.
The PWM platform looks to highlight the risks associated with back-to-back matches, defined as games played within five days of the previous one. Atalanta’s Berat Djimsiti, Newcastle’s Bruno Guimarães, and Bayern Munich’s Min-Jae Kim endured long B2B streaks due to team injuries and high-stakes matches.
Fifpro says that these streaks increase the likelihood of injuries, stressing the need for better squad rotation.
Looking ahead, the report suggests the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons promise even greater challenges. With the expansion of tournaments such as the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Champions League, top players will face even more crowded schedules.
The PWM platform projected match load could reach 76-77 appearances per season, averaging almost 1.5 matches per week across the 52-week year, leaving players with little room for rest.
Fifpro have said that the PWM tool aims to keep track of these developments, highlighting the need for balanced squad management and potential adjustments to the football calendar. As elite players continue to shoulder heavy workloads, they say the call for action becomes ever more urgent to safeguard their health and performance.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1731706433labto1731706433ofdlr1731706433owedi1731706433sni@g1731706433niwe.1731706433yrrah1731706433