European Football Championship 2024: Top Players and Their Playing Times
The European Football Championship kicks off in Munich with the opening match between Germany and Scotland. Fans will have the opportunity to see stars like Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, not every player at the tournament has been a regular for their respective clubs this past season.
A total of 622 players will compete for the title in the European Championship, with varying degrees of match practice. For instance, Jasir Asani from Albania played only eight minutes for Gwangju FC in South Korea due to training issues. Breel Embolo of AS Monaco played just 181 minutes owing to a cruciate ligament tear, whereas Peter Pekarik of Hertha BSC was on the field for 182 minutes despite his nomination to the Slovakian team.
Conversely, some players have accumulated an exhaustive amount of playtime, potentially leading to burnout. Jan Oblak, the goalkeeper for Atlético Madrid and Slovenia, tops the list with 4,950 minutes in 54 matches. Serbian veteran Dušan Tadić has the most appearances, with 56 matches for Fenerbahçe. Czech defender Robin Hranac logged 4,635 minutes over five different competitions for FC Viktoria Pilsen.
The German team leads in total accumulated playtime, boasting 84,109 minutes amongst their 26 players. They are followed by England with 82,401 minutes and Portugal with 81,683 minutes. İlkay Gündoğan, the DFB captain, played 4,180 minutes across 51 matches and faces scrutiny over whether this extensive playtime will benefit or inhibit his performance.
The tournament raises questions about whether the lack of match practice for some and the potential for heavy legs due to overplaying for others will significantly affect their performance.
Participation rates and player fitness will be critical variables to watch as the European Football Championship progresses, starting with the opening clash between Germany and Scotland this Friday.
- Elsewhere in Europe, voter participation in the recent European elections displayed varied engagement levels across member states. Belgians and Luxembourgers showed the highest participation at 89.8% and 82.3%, while Greeks and Bulgarians, despite compulsory voting, participated far less.
- Hungary saw the most significant increase in voter turnout compared to 2019, up by 15.9 points. Cyprus and Slovenia also saw notable increases of 13.9 and 12.6 points respectively. A unique factor in Cyprus’s increased participation was the involvement of a popular YouTuber, Fidias Panayiotou.
- Conversely, countries like Croatia and Lithuania recorded alarmingly low turnout rates. Italy, a populous nation within the EU, showed an increase in abstention rates, following a historical trend of decreasing electoral engagement post-1993.
