Bruno Fernandes leads Europe with insane minutes total
- Fernandes is a permanent fixture for both Man Utd & Portugal
- Midfielder has played more football over past year than any other men's player
- Real Madrid's Rodrygo also among global leaders
By Tom Gott
No men's player featured in more games or played more minutes over the past 12 months than Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes.
Promoted to United captain this season, Fernandes is a crucial player for both club and country and is a near-permanent fixture in his teams.
Last season, Fernandes missed just three United games in all competitions, being forced to sit out two through suspension and earning a rest for a cup game in January 2023.
According to FIFPRO, Fernandes featured in 72 matches for both United and Portugal between 15 September 2022 and 15 September 2023, racking up an insane 6,666 minutes at an average of 92.6 minutes per appearance.
Unsurprisingly, Fernandes leads the appearance charts in men's football, with Real Madrid forward Rodrygo Goes coming in closest with 70 games for club and country.
Such significant minutes is nothing new for Fernandes, who joined United from Sporting CP in January 2020. Indeed, since the 2018 World Cup, the Portugal international has accumulated a whopping 29,486 minutes of action - the equivalent of 327.6 matches.
While Fernandes' longevity and ability to withstand injury both deserve praise, there are obvious concerns over the impact of playing so many minutes across a short period of time.
"Intense workload remains one of the most important issues for players in top-tier competitions," FIFPRO president David Aganzo said in September.
"While the calendar continues to be expanded, there are just not enough safeguards to protect players' well-being, performance, and career longevity."
United manager Erik ten Hag even recently admitted the recent injury crisis plaguing his club was due to an increased workload.
Behind Fernandes and Rodrygo in the appearance charts are Manchester City's Rodri, Inter's Lautaro Martinez and Real Madrid duo Eduardo Camavinga and Luka Modric, who all managed 68 outings during the 12 months in question.
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