Kylian Mbappe compares football to NBA and calls for 'best possible solution'
PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe has voiced his concerns about the increasing number of games in European football. He compared it to the NBA's recent rise in load management during the regular season.
Mbappe, who has played over 400 games for AS Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and the France national team, is worried about the extra workload. This comes as the Champions League plans to add two more matches to its group stages from next season.
FIFA is also planning to expand its Club World Cup from 7 teams to 32, with 12 of them being from Europe. Instead of a 10-day knockout tournament in December, it will become a month-long competition starting from the summer of 2025.
The FIFA World Cup will also expand in 2026 when Canada, Mexico and the United States host. If France reaches the semi-finals, like they did in 2022, they will play one extra game due to an additional knockout round.
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Regardless of whether he stays at PSG or makes a widely reported move to Real Madrid, Mbappe will likely participate in the revamped Champions League and Club World Cup over the next 18 months. He has not overlooked the upcoming increase in matches.
"We're getting closer to the NBA model, with seasons of 70 games," he shared in a chat with GQ magazine. Last season, Bruno Fernandes played 70 times for Manchester United and Portugal.
In the previous season, Barcelona's Pedri played 73 games for his club and Spain. "Personally, I'm not against playing that many matches, but we can't always be at our best and give the audience the show they expect," Mbappe added.
"In the NBA, players don't play every game, and teams practice load management." This season, the league introduced a new Player Participation Policy.
Kylian Mbappe and Paris Saint Germain return to Champions League action later this year (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images) (No credit)Earlier this month, the Brooklyn Nets were the first team found to have broken the policy. They were slapped with a $100,000 fine after an investigation revealed four players who could have played in a Dec. 27 game against the Milwaukee Bucks did not.
Then, in early January, the NBA released independent research showing no connection between load management and a reduced risk of injury. The study also discovered that 'star players' are missing more than double the number of games compared to the 1990s.
Mbappe spoke about the pressures of playing when tired: "If I said, 'I'm tired, I'm not playing on Saturday,' it wouldn't go down well. The spectator who pays for his ticket - and who may only see you once during the season - wants to see a performance worthy of the name, and that's understandable."
He also added, "I don't want to preach, but we need to think together about how to offer the best possible solution so that players, spectators, and football's governing bodies can all embrace it."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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