Rodri's counterargument. A football match doesn’t really last 90 minutes

Recently, footballers have been complaining about their packed schedules and exhaustion. However, recent research shows that the ball is not actually in play for the full 90 minutes.

Details: According to a study by Opta, since the 2022/2023 season, the ball has been in play for an average of only 56% of the total match time in Europe’s top five leagues. This translates to approximately 55 minutes of actual playing time.

In terms of individual leagues, the ball remains in play the most in France’s Ligue 1, with an average of 56 minutes and 35 seconds per game, while La Liga in Spain sees the least at 54 minutes and 27 seconds.

Reminder: The significant loss of playing time was reflected in refereeing recommendations at the 2022 World Cup. Officials were instructed to fully compensate for delays in matches, leading to extra time being extended by as much as 15–20 minutes in each half.