Thursday, March 28

Are soccer players injured more or less than before?


Mikel Oyarzabal, before breaking the previous crusader with Real Sociedad. / AFP

The field of play is no longer a battlefield, but the player’s physique is pushed to the limit to capitalize on their productivity

Alberto del Campo Weaver

ALBERTO OF THE WEAVER FIELD Professor of Social Anthropology at Pablo de Olavide University

The national coach has had to call Hugo Guillamón to replace Diego Llorente, who was injured last Friday with Leeds United. There is not a call in which Luis Enrique does not have to make bobbin lace in the face of last-minute casualties. Some injuries are short-lived, but others, like Mikel Oyarzabal’s, threaten the player to miss the World Cup. It is not surprising that, since the European Championship in June, up to 25 different players have started with the national team. Either to make up for casualties or to prevent them (as in the deliberate absence of Busquets), the watchword is to rotate.

Spain certainly has enough players in the elite. If Ansu Fati breaks, Luis Enrique calls Raúl de Tomás. Clubs have bigger problems. To fight for the titles, a large squad is required, with luxury substitutes that do not detract from the starters, something that only the richest clubs can afford. The Madrid bench – with Bale, Hazard, Jovic, Isco, Ceballos, Camavinga or Marco Asensio – is worth more millions than several teams in the League combined.

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Frequent injuries harm teams with less budget, which have to resort to homegrown players. Plagued by casualties, Sevilla stood up in their match against West Ham with six players from the reserve team. He lost 2-0 and was eliminated. The less numerous and competitive templates do not resist the accumulation of matches. In the last 45 days, Betis played 14 games in the League, Cup and Europa League. In his last clash against Celta he could not go from 0-0. Six players were in the infirmary.

A study, carried out by UEFA, analyzed the injuries of 49 teams from 20 countries between 2000 and 2019. The good news is that the number of injuries fell by 3% per season, steadily. The percentage of relapses fell even more: 5% per year. This contradicts the general opinion that players are getting injured now more than before.

Undoubtedly, football a few decades ago was tougher and more dangerous: treacherous attacks are today more punished and referees especially protect the stars. Poli Rincón, who has been operated on up to 18 times, remembers how his sternum was broken and the referee did not whistle at all. Each era has its admitted violence. The manhood model of Poli’s time —the Spanish fury— was in keeping with a sport in which the “tough guys” who marked Maradona roamed freely.

It influences that the style of play has changed. The tiquitaca has boosted the virtuous player who creates, compared to the warrior who destroys, who does not enjoy prestige. The lower number of injuries today also has to do with the fact that clubs spend a lot of money on both physical trainers and medical professionals who monitor each player individually so that his body can withstand the demands.

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However, it is not gold everything that shines. The aforementioned UEFA investigation concluded that ligament injuries did decrease, but not muscle injuries, which remained unchanged despite the greatest professional care. The severity of ligament injuries in training also increased. Studies show that in each match, players run more miles and put in more high-speed efforts. In addition, the number of encounters has increased. There is an economic background behind it: not only has competitiveness grown, but the more televised matches, the more money moves. When the minutes played accumulate, the squad practically does not train: there are only recovery sessions so that the player returns to the battle in less than 72 hours.

The soccer player no longer embodies the testosterone male who breaks his face as if he were going to a neighborhood fight, but the hyperproductive, profitable and meticulously prepared machine to force the body to the extreme and squeeze it, under the pretext that the player earns a lot of money and there is much more at stake. I don’t know which is better.


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