The physical toll the world's top players have to pay has been a frequent topic of conversation in recent months following a series of serious injuries. Unsurprisingly, Real Madrid and Barcelona have two of the three most used players in the world's top 66 leagues in 2024.
Fede Valverde has missed just one of Real Madrid's last 71 matches and he sits third on the list compiled by CIES Football Observatory. He has just added 90 minutes at the Intercontinental Cup to his total of 5,573, moving him into second place ahead of Fluminense's Jhon Arias. In total, those minutes spanned 66 games.
According to the records, including international matches, Jules Kounde is far ahead with 5,872 minutes, which will put him with the most minutes of any player in the calendar year. He has made 69 appearances for Barcelona and France, and is likely to make 70 appearances in La Liga against Atletico Madrid this weekend.
The only other La Liga player to feature in the top twenty was Real Madrid's Antonio Rudiger. The German centre-back has been the only constant at the back for Carlo Ancelotti and his full game against Pachuca gives him a total of 5,293 minutes across 61 matches. That puts him in 9th place.
Of the top 100 ranked players, the youngest players were also ranked. Unsurprisingly, England star Jude Bellingham is also in the top three. The 21-year-old suffered the occasional injury in 2024, but also logged 4,669 minutes.
That workload has taken its toll on both Barcelona and Real Madrid in recent years. Cruciate ligament injuries destroyed Dani Carvajal, Thibaut Courtois, David Alaba, Gavi and Eder MIilitao, twice in the Brazilian's case. The Catalan side have also seen major injuries to Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong, as well as significant problems for Pedri up front.
Comments