With a revamped Club World Cup being added to the calendar, an exhausting 2024–25 season has only just reached its conclusion, having started 11 months ago.
Respite is rare for footballers at the highest level, with those who enjoyed deep runs in the United States this summer soon tucking into their preseason programmes in preparation for another slog in 2025–26.
Player burnout is a growing concern, and there have been few signs of those who pull the strings manifesting sympathy. More, more and more seems to ever be the only answer, with athletes treated like pawns who most perform relentlessly to satiate financial desires.
Ballon d’Or holder Rodri said last September, just before he tore his ACL, that some are "close" to going on strike, while Harry Kane believes players aren’t being listened to regarding the congested schedule. We’re seemingly at breaking point, with the minutes the world’s most used players tallied up in 2024–25 surely not sustainable.
has conjured up a list of the players with the most minutes played last season. Here are the top ten.
