Are professional soccer players overworked?

Analysis: The demands of the modern game and an overloaded calendar are having a serious impact on players' wellbeing and performance

By Wasim Ahmed, University of Hull and Ronnie Das, The University of Western Australia

For some professional soccer players, the ultimate sporting honour is to play – and hopefully win – for their country. A place in the international squad is highly prized and hard fought for. But for the men's England team, perhaps some of the shine has come off. Captain Harry Kane has openly criticised his fellow players for excusing themselves from international duty before matches in November 2024 against Greece and Ireland.

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From RTÉ 2fm's Game On, Keith Treacy and Mark Langdon discuss the England squad withdrawals ahead of the Nations League matches

A total of nine players ruled themselves out, including Cole Palmer (Chelsea) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), who both withdrew from the squad citing injuries. Of course, injured players cannot perform as well as they or their fans might wish, but the implication seems to be that the players are not prioritising the national team.

Yet data suggests that fans – and Kane – should maybe give those players the benefit of the doubt. For the demands of the modern game in an overloaded calendar are having a serious impact on players' wellbeing and performance. One official review indicates a rise of 11% in player injuries in the Premier League during the 2023-24 season compared to the previous one.