Rodri injury cautionary tale amid calls for change in player workload

MANCHESTER – A week after Rodri warned of strike action over increasing workload, the Manchester City midfielder is facing a long injury layoff – a cruel twist of fate that has further fuelled the debate around player well-being amid an intense schedule.

Managers and former players such as Pep Guardiola, Erik ten Hag, Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher also recently joined the growing chorus calling for change.

Former Arsenal forward Henry said players have lost their joy of the game, while Liverpool’s former defender Carragher said they are treated like cattle.

The power of players to do anything about it is being eroded, said Mark O’Sullivan, associate professor of football at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences.

“The whole game is subverted and it’s just been aimed at consumers by Fifa and Uefa, squeezing the last few drops out of the globalised lemon, and they’re degrading the welfare of players,” Prof O’Sullivan told Reuters in an interview.

“There’s lots of serious questions around the erosion of player agency and the long-term impact of players being forced to prioritise short-term performance over long-term well-being.”

The 28-year-old Rodri, who suffered a knee ligament injury in City’s 2-2 English Premier League draw with Arsenal on Sept 22, had said the optimal number of games per season in which a player can perform at the highest level was between 40 and 50.

This season, some players could play as many as 80 with the expanded Champions League and Club World Cup formats, alongside enlarged national team competitions.

The United States will host the first edition of Fifa’s new 32-team Club World Cup from June 15 to July 13, 2025.

“Nobody wants to play in it, nobody is excited about it,” former England international Carragher told CBS recently.

“The best players in the world are being treated like cattle,” he added.

Global players’ union Fifpro in 2023 warned of the dangers to young talents, comparing the workload of big names such as Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe to former high-profile players.

By the age of 18, Mbappe had already played more than double the number of Henry’s competitive matches. Bellingham was subjected to an extremely high workload by 19, compared to the likes of England greats Wayne Rooney and David Beckham at the same age.

Mbappe suffered a muscle injury this week, his La Liga club Real Madrid said on Sept 25, that has cast doubt on his participation in the weekend derby against Atletico Madrid.

His teammate Bellingham recently returned to action after missing a month with a muscle injury.

While the football world celebrates teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, there should be greater concern for his long-term well-being, Prof O’Sullivan said. The 17-year-old played 50 games in all competitions for Barcelona last season, then helped Spain to Euro 2024 victory.

“He’s a kid and he’s played 60 games, his body is still growing, it takes energy for your body to grow, it takes energy to play sport, and you’re burning a candle at both ends,” Prof O’Sullivan said.

Games lost to long-term injuries to young players such as Pedri, Ansu Fati and Gavi at the Catalan club are a cautionary tale, he added.

“And if we just keep going, ‘We have better recovery. We have new innovations in recovery’, all you’re doing is putting a plaster on a tumour,” Prof O’Sullivan said.

Former France striker Henry said player fatigue was obvious at Euro 2024.

“I don’t want to see (Harry) Kane tired at a Euro, I don’t want to see (Jude) Bellingham tired at a Euro. I don’t want to see Rodri losing balls that he never loses normally,” Henry said.

Mental recovery amid a gruelling schedule is as taxing as the physical demands, he added, saying: “I see players sometimes playing without joy any more of the game.” REUTERS