Iron Men of Basketball: Who's Leading the 2024-25 Season in Minutes Played

Following the introduction of an expanded Club World Cup to the fixture list, the grueling 2024–25 campaign has finally come to an end after beginning 11 months earlier.
Rest periods are scarce for elite-level footballers, with those who participated extensively in the United States tournament this summer quickly transitioning into their preseason training regimens ahead of another demanding 2025–26 campaign.
The issue of player fatigue is becoming increasingly problematic, yet there appears to be little compassion from decision-makers. The constant demand for additional fixtures seems to be the perpetual solution, with athletes being utilized as expendable resources who must continuously perform to fulfill commercial ambitions.
Ballon d'Or winner Rodri stated last September, shortly before suffering his ACL injury, that some players are "close" to striking, while Harry Kane feels that player concerns about fixture congestion are being ignored. We appear to have reached a critical juncture, with the playing time accumulated by the world's most utilized players in 2024–25 appearing unsustainable.
Marca has compiled a ranking of the players who accumulated the most playing time last season. Below are the leading ten.
Players Who Accumulated Most Minutes in 2024–25
Rank | Player | Club/Country | Appearances | Total Minutes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Federico Valverde | Real Madrid/Uruguay | 72 | 6,116 |
2. | Bruno Fernandes | Man Utd/Portugal | 66 | 5,796 |
3. | Mike Maignan | Milan/France | 63 | 5,624 |
4. | Joshua Kimmich | Bayern Munich/Germany | 64 | 5,529 |
5. | Joško Gvardiol | Man City/Croatia | 64 | 5,459 |
6. | David Raya | Arsenal/Spain | 60 | 5,430 |
7. | Achraf Hakimi | PSG/Morocco | 62 | 5,260 |
8. | Marc Cucurella | Chelsea/Spain | 63 | 5,209 |
9. | Jan Oblak | Atlético Madrid/Slovenia | 57 | 5,190 |
10. | Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool/Netherlands | 57 | 5,174 |
No footballer came near to equaling Federico Valverde's remarkable total of 6,116 minutes across 72 matches. Although Real Madrid colleague Luka Modrić, impressively, recorded one additional appearance for club and nation despite celebrating his 39th birthday last September, the Croatian legend was frequently utilized as a substitute.
Valverde featured 65 times for Madrid and received seven international call-ups, absent from just three matches and coming off the bench in four. The versatile midfielder has consistently been praised for his stamina and work rate, and Xabi Alonso is expected to depend on him as heavily as his predecessor Carlo Ancelotti.
Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes finished second in minutes played, though he accumulated over 300 fewer than Valverde with 5,796. The Portuguese star excelled for a disappointing United side that reached the Europa League final but concluded 15th in the Premier League standings.
Fernandes is among four players in the top ten who also didn't compete in the Club World Cup. Goalkeepers Mike Maignan and David Raya also secured places, alongside Liverpool's exceptional defender Virgil van Dijk. The Dutch center-back claimed tenth position with 5,174 minutes, having started all except one of Liverpool's 38 Premier League fixtures.
Atlético Madrid's goalkeeper contributed three additional matches to his season total in the U.S. to equal Van Dijk's 57, though he concluded the season with 16 additional minutes. Both were overtaken by full-back pair Achraf Hakimi and Marc Cucurella, who both featured in Sunday's Club World Cup final. The former was instrumental in Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League triumph but appeared only 25 times in Ligue 1.
Joshua Kimmich's Bayern Munich were eliminated by PSG in the quarterfinals of this summer's competition, but the German midfielder remained a cornerstone of Vincent Kompany's setup throughout the season. Kimmich accumulated the fourth-highest minutes with 5,529, 70 more than Manchester City's Joško Gvardiol.