But now he has a few days to relax and prepare for the next game. These moments of respite are becoming increasingly rare as the number of games that top footballers have to play has increased recently. The new format of the Champions League with 36 teams next season and FIFA’s move to a 48-team World Cup in 2026 (previously there were 32) will increase the number of games for top players – which already have more than 30 league games, international Games and various commercially lucrative foreign tours to complete before the season – increase even further. A report published by the football players’ union FIFPRO in June 2023 highlighted that the physical and mental health of professional footballers has deteriorated due to the lack of recovery time between games.
“I fear that the players’ careers will last shorter, because what is asked of them physically and mentally today is just too much,” Raphaël Varane, Mbappé’s former teammate in France, told GQ last year – a few months after a grueling one Winter World Championships in Qatar. Other players such as Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk and Real Madrid’s French midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni also expressed their concerns – and Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola was also upset about the high risk of injury the players face.
“We will not be able to be good every time and give viewers the spectacle they expect”
During the last international break in November, several world stars such as Vinicius Jr., Erling Haaland, Gavi and Marcus Rashford were sidelined due to injuries. Mbappé fears that these changes are symptomatic of an alienation between players, spectators and the football associations. “We are approaching the NBA model with 70-game seasons. Personally, I don’t mind playing so many games, but we won’t be able to be good every time and give those watching the spectacle they expect,” warns Mbappé. “In the NBA, players don’t play every game and teams practice load management [die Stars werden geschont, damit sie sich ausruhen können und Verletzungen vermieden werden]. But if I said, ‘I’m tired, I’m not playing on Saturday,’ that wouldn’t go down well. The viewer who pays for his ticket and maybe only sees you once a season wants to see a performance that is worthy of the name, and that is understandable.”
“I don’t want to preach, but we need to think together about how we can offer a solution that will be accepted by players, spectators and football associations alike.”
Cardigan and shirt: Dior Men.
Mbappé wants to make history – in football and off the pitch
At the moment, however, the Paris Saint-Germain striker’s main concern is getting through this season with his club and winning the European Championship in the summer. After a particularly disappointing tournament in 2021, where the French were eliminated by Switzerland in the round of 16, they now want to do better. “We are one of the most anticipated teams in this tournament – and we are ready and confident. We qualified very well, now our goal is to win,” continued Mbappé. “We lost some big champions this year, extremely important players like Hugo [Lloris] and Raphael [Varane]. Still, it hasn’t affected the group – and that shows how well we stick together and how good we are at adapting.”
2024-01-17 08:13:23
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