Football-Superstars buzzing towards EURO in years of suffering
After a long season, the EM drained many players to their limits. And it could get even worse: the new Champions League, the Club World Cup, the Nations League. The WM 2026 is already looming on the horizon. They can only relax towards the end of the decade.
Even the seemingly unyielding Rodri could not escape. For weeks, the Spanish midfield conductor had been chased by balls, carried a young Spanish team through difficult moments - but in the final against England, it was already over by half-time. Whether injured or exhausted, it didn't matter in that moment, Rodri had to go. In retrospect, that shouldn't have been surprising.
His example shows how some top players are already pushing their limits, so shortly before the start of the new season. The 28-year-old, who was chosen as the player of the tournament after Spain's triumph, seemed to have reached his limit some time ago. His schedule, Rodri complained a few months ago, was not healthy in the long term. After the 3:3 in the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid in early April, the Manchester City midfielder under Pep Guardiola, emphasized that he needed "a break." In total, he played 63 games in the past year - he was always in the starting lineup. And there was no end in sight, the EM was just a pit stop on an unprecedented schedule.
Bellingham complains loudly
"I think we have sacrificed a lot in the last few weeks," complained Jude Bellingham after the lost final. It's "extremely difficult" these days, he added, to collect yourself again for a tournament: "It's hard for the body, mentally and physically, you're exhausted."
Promising players like England's midfielder Bellingham or Spain's six-man Rodri might not have more than two weeks off until the middle of 2027. Three years of football without a break. Mainly due to the Club World Cup 2025 and the Mega-World Cup 2026. In between: a lot of club football, an inflated European cup competition, Nations League, World Cup qualifiers. The full program.
It's hardly surprising that Jürgen Klopp has been warning about the consequences of the growing calendar of events for years. Before the EM, Ronald Koeman criticized the federations. "They are killing the players," the Dutch national coach told Sport Bild: "Instead of reducing the burdens for the players, it's getting worse."
It's really getting started now
So the Champions League is being expanded by the UEFA to 36 clubs from the new season, and the FIFA is celebrating the premiere of its new Club World Cup with 32 teams next summer. A total of 48 teams will participate in the new, 104-match behemoth World Cup a year later. Due to its new club competition, the FIFA is now facing potential legal trouble, as sports labor unions from France and England have initiated legal proceedings at the European Court of Justice.
However, it is hardly to be expected that the functionaries will have an insight. Instead, it is now the affected parties themselves who are pondering possible solutions for the problem created by the federations. For example, Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente suggested abolishing extensions, at least before the semifinals.
England was discussing the high load of the Three Lions before the final. Both in the round of 16 and in the quarterfinals, the team of trainer Gareth Southgate had made it through the tournament with the help of extensions. An end to the suffering is not in sight for the stars.
- Jude Bellingham's concerns about the rigorous schedule were echoed by many top players, including those set to represent Europe in the UEFA European Football Championship 2024 and the Football World Cup 2026.
- After the UEFA expansion of the Champions League to 36 teams and FIFA's introduction of the Club World Cup with 32 teams, Manchester City midfielder Jude Bellingham and his teammates will be facing a grueling schedule leading up to the FIFA's 104-match mega-World Cup in 2027.
- With UEFA, FIFA, and the national teams planning an extensive schedule filled with club competitions, Nations League, and World Cup qualifiers, even renowned managers like Pep Guardiola of Manchester City have expressed concerns about the long-term impact on players' health and performance in major tournaments, such as the Football World Cup 2026.
