Top soccer players sidelined fuels burnout concerns with ever-increasing game schedule

Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham, center left, fights for the ball with Atalanta's Sead Kolasinac during the UEFA Super Cup Final soccer match between Real Madrid and Atalanta at the Narodowy stadium in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024.

Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham, center left, fights for the ball with Atalanta's Sead Kolasinac during the UEFA Super Cup Final soccer match between Real Madrid and Atalanta at the Narodowy stadium in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)


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MONACO — Jude Bellingham and Rodri have key starring roles for title-winning soccer clubs and their national teams. Neither is currently playing matches. Both are being carefully managed early in another congested season that shapes to keep both busy well into July. Again, after Spain beat England in the Euro 2024 final. Bellingham's Real Madrid and Rodri's Manchester City have more games in a deeper Champions League schedule through January. Both teams qualified for a new month-long FIFA club tournament in the United States to end the season. The relentless two-games-per-week schedule is fueling concern about burning out the best players.

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Graham Dunbar

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