Real Madrid’s superstar Kylian Mbappé has voiced his stance on the need for more rest for players, as the debate over football’s congested calendar continues to pit players against governing bodies. Over the past decade, the Spanish Super Cup, the Nations League, and the Champions League have added extra fixtures to the calendar.
This trend is expected to continue, as the World Cup will increase the number of teams by 50% next year, and it will double by 2030, although the 2026 edition will only add one more match in total for the winner.
Mbappé has started the season in top form, scoring the opening goal in two of Real Madrid’s first three matches and showing sharpness in the third as well. This is good news for Madrid fans, as the Frenchman believes Xabi Alonso has all the ingredients for a great season at the Santiago Bernabéu.
“I’m very happy to be starting a new season. I came here with a lot of enthusiasm. It’s a big year for my club, my national team, and for me. Everything is in place to achieve great things, and that begins tomorrow. I try not to think too much about the end of the season,” he told Marca.
Real Madrid players have recently spoken openly about the calendar’s workload, with Thibaut Courtois being the most vocal. Mbappé was asked about the issue and explained that maintaining the same level throughout an entire season is no longer possible, in his opinion.
“I don’t know if we’re ready to play a season with 60 matches. From my experience in football, I watch a lot of games, but I can’t remember ever seeing a player who played more than 60 top-level matches. There’s always a base level that is maintained. I’ve seen players considered among the best in history, and others less so, but none have played 60 matches at the very highest level. There will always be games where performance drops a bit.”
During the summer, Real Madrid took part in the Club World Cup, where they earned over €70 million but added six more matches to their workload, leaving them with only 19 days of preparation before the season.
“Last season I had gastroenteritis, a virus like that. Last season was total confusion. Did we play too many matches? I don’t necessarily believe so. That’s the debate. We can give explanations, but the answer is always that we earn a lot of money, ‘play,’ and so we play. It will continue like this. I understand the people who want to watch many games from their couches. We just need a little more rest to recover. It’s not about the number of matches, but more about recovery. I saw teams that returned to training while we were still at the Club World Cup…”
