I met Danny Ulmo and Pedri in Tokyo, at the end of Spain's game against Argentina, in the home stage of the soccer tournament at the Olympics.
They were in a frenzy.
Imprisoned in a routine.
Sweating and smiling, not imagining they are exaggerating.
A month earlier they were still part of the senior team, which traveled all over Europe and reached the Euro 2020 semi-finals, and before that they played in the German and Spanish leagues, the Champions League, the various trophies, the World Cup qualifiers - and where not.
When asked why they decided to burden themselves with a month in Japan for an inferior tournament, they talked about respect, privilege, prestige and the fulfillment of dreams.
If only they knew what price this dream would charge.
Since winning the silver medal in Tokyo, somewhere in early August, the two have barely been able to stand on their own two feet.
Ulmo played 210 minutes in the RB Leipzig uniform, and another 122 minutes in those of the Spanish team, while Federy managed to compress 310 with Barcelona and 185 with the team of Luis Enrique.
In recent months, they have been suffering from recurrent hip injuries, and are patiently waiting for this year to pass and the new year to begin.
The two Spanish ties best represent one of the standout phenomena of 2021: too much football.
Or in short: YMCA. If during this year you felt that there is not a single moment without a game on your screen, you really were not mistaken. Football has long been not played from Saturday to Saturday, but on all days and hours between Saturday and Saturday. And in 2021 also the European Championships, the Copa America, youth team tournaments, Olympic Games, and more, and more, and more.
Danny Hall.
The Olympic tournament charged him a price, Photo: AP,
Are you familiar with the concept of "critical minutes"?
Add to that the fact that the Corona forced a significant cut of the break, it turned out that this year the players played all the time, everywhere, and without a break. According to a study by FIFPRO, the international players' organization, there are players who have attended more than 80 official games this year, to which additional flights and long journeys have been added. The pretty clear conclusion of this study: footballers are eroding. "There is too much football," Bayern Munich and Poland striker Robert Lewandowski declared in an interview with the Times. "We are not machines. At the end of the game the quality will be compromised, and the fans will start to get bored."
This year’s tremendous load, which is responsible, among other things, for the corona virus and its aftermath, has led people to think of solutions that will help players survive a football year.
The players' association claimed that senior footballers get a lot of "critical minutes" (at least 45 minutes of play in less than five days off between games), and that this leads to injuries and even shortens careers.
To prevent this, the idea arose to hold proactive breaks during the season, which in view of the data seems to be desirable.
According to a study, international players are in "critical minutes" about 67 percent of the time during a season.
Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandez has spent 100 per cent of his time in the first four months of the year in "critical minutes".
It seems no coincidence that he is experiencing a decline in his ability at the start of the current season.
The problem is that these red lights do not turn on in decision makers.
Instead of cutting, gaining and allowing rest, the tendency of FIFA and UEFA is to cram more and more football into the schedule, which will soon explode. The Champions League will soon launch a new format that will add more teams, more meetings and about 100 games, while in mind. FIFA President Gianni Infantino continues to vigorously roll out the World Cup idea every two years.
No one is willing to give up their share of the pie, games are sent to exotic destinations, tournaments are spread across continents, and the players' battery drains too quickly.
"It's too much football," also stated the coach of Liel Abda and Nir Bitton at Celtic, Anja Postkoglou.
"The players are failing to recover, and it's hard to build a routine like that."
To be sure, football is good.
We are in favor, lovers and fans, but there is a feeling that this year it has reached the dimensions of overdose.
Filled with spectators, who have to break their toes while blabbering on, but especially the players themselves, who have a hard time withstanding the load and spend more time in the treatment rooms than on the lawn.
So true, 2021 was different and it took some constraints to put into it everything that was postponed and canceled, so the hope is that 2022 will be a little more moderate.
In short - bring football, and a lot, but also bring the great right to miss and wait a bit between games.
PS -
In 2022 there will be a World Cup.
November, in Qatar.
You have to end a season and start a season, and in fact there is no chance that the players will get a rest next year as well.
Italy national team in Euro 2020, Photo: Reuters,
FIFA chairman Gianni Infantino, Photo: Reuters,
Robert Lewandowski.
Do not skimp on the crowded schedule, Photo: AP,
The wounded Muhammad Salah and Harvey Elliott, Photo: Getty Images,
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