On the road with the national team
©IMAGO
Do professional footballers have to play too many games? Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano (26) answered the question with yes, agreeing with the newly crowned Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, who even spoke of strikes. Upamecano shares this thought, as he made clear at a press conference on Tuesday ahead of the upcoming French international match.
“Why not go that far, yes,” said the central defender, according to “L’Équipe”, when asked whether a strike would be a possible option. Upamecano continued: “We have to talk about it among ourselves, there are too many games, and I hope that one day they will understand it.” The upcoming international match with France against Israel in the Nations League on Thursday would be Upamecano’s 17th competitive game since the middle August. So far, 20 games would have been possible for Upamecano in the league, cup, Champions League and for the national team – 1.5 per week. The Turkish Barış Alper Yılmaz (24) played an incredible 70 competitive games with Galatasaray and the Turkish selection in the last season, including the previous European Championship.
The Spaniard Rodri from Manchester City initiated the current discussion about the supposedly excessive burden on professional footballers in September and spoke of strikes. “We are close to it,” said the European champion and became a tragic figure in the question: a few weeks later he seriously injured his cruciate ligament. He was then voted World Player of the Year just ahead of Real Madrid’s Vinivius Junior.
“I think you can ask any player you want, they will say the same thing,” said Rodri about his strike thoughts. The players have to take care of themselves. Later, Jules Koundé (25) from FC Barcelona agreed, Willi Orbán from RB Leipzig showed understanding for Rodri’s statements, and Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso also supported Rodri’s view. The compatriot said: “If the players feel that there are too many games – and the schedule is very tight – they need to be heard.”
