Players have become consumables, and the five major leagues are the most miserable!

The Premier League is often called "Europe's most profitable football machine." Data shows that its total revenue in the 2023/24 season is as high as 7.14 billion euros, almost equal to the sum of La Liga (3.72 billion) and Bundesliga (3.62 billion). By the summer window of 2025, the net investment of Premier League clubs has soared to 15.12 billion euros - not only setting a new high in transfer spending in global football after the epidemic, but also leaving other leagues far behind.

For comparison, Serie A's summer window net expenditure was only 730 million euros, and La Liga's was 440 million euros; while the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 even achieved "net profits", with an overall net expenditure of negative 52.5 billion euros (that is, the income from selling people far exceeded the expenditure on signings). Although some transfer details have not been fully disclosed, these figures have clearly outlined the Premier League's absolute financial dominance.

However, behind high income is a price that ordinary people cannot imagine.

While others are on vacation, the Premier League is "working hard"

While La Liga, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1 generally have winter breaks, and Serie A also flexibly adjusts the schedule to reduce the burden on players, the Premier League turns the period from December to New Year every year into a veritable "devil's schedule."

In 2019, after years of calls from many clubs, the Football Association briefly introduced a winter break, but it only lasted four years before quietly canceling it. What's even more ironic is that the so-called "winter break" was originally scheduled for mid-January, rather than during the Christmas holiday like in continental Europe - which did nothing to alleviate the players' fatigue during the intensive holiday schedule. The reason is simple: Christmas and New Year are the golden windows with the highest commercial value in the Premier League. TV broadcasts, ticket sales, and sponsorship exposure reach their peak at this time. Who is willing to give up real money for the health of the players?

Famous coaches protested in unison: This is exchanging players' health for money.

Even legendary coaches who have always been tit-for-tat have rarely stood together to speak out. Ferguson, Wenger, and Mourinho have all publicly criticized the cruelty of the Premier League schedule. In 2015, the then Manchester United coach Louis van Gaal said angrily:

"There is no real winter break, which is the most cruel design of this league. They do not hesitate to sacrifice the players' bodies in order to make money. My players are either on the training ground or in hospital beds. When players from Bayern, Barcelona, and Real Madrid are on vacation, we Players have to play every three days. This is why no English team has won the Champions League since Chelsea won the championship in 2024. Starting from 2024, the Football Association has completely canceled the formal winter break on the grounds that "it will allow the season to end early to facilitate players to prepare for the World Cup or European Cup." But the reality is: After such an intensive schedule, how much physical fitness do players still have to play for the country?

The schedule is getting longer and longer, and players have become "consumables"

Modern football is being stretched by commercial interests: the UEFA Champions League was born, the Champions League and the Europa League were expanded, the Club World Cup was restructured, and even the tasteless national leagues were forced into the schedule...the number of games has exploded.

In 2022, De Bruyne bluntly said: "The National League is meaningless, it is just a friendly match after a long season. We asked for a break many times, but no one listened." Klopp even directly called it "the most ridiculous event in the world."

Now, the Belgian captain has spoken out again: "There is only three weeks between the Club World Cup and the new Premier League season, and then we have to face a season that may be as many as 80 games." This is not alarmist - in 2024, the England team played 17 games throughout the year (reached the European Cup finals), Belgium played 14 games (stopped in the top 16); and Manchester City played an average of 60 games per year in the past three seasons, not counting pre-season warm-up games.

A true portrayal of the devil's schedule

Take 2025 as an example: After the November international match, Arsenal players will have to play 11 games in the remaining 39 days, which is equivalent to an average of one game every three days. In the same period, Barcelona, ​​Real Madrid, and Bayern only played 8 games even if they also competed on three fronts (league, domestic cup, and Champions League).

This is the truth about the Premier League winter: high intensity, high density, and high risk. Players' physical fitness is drained, the risk of serious injuries increases sharply, and psychological pressure follows them.

For the stars in England, whether they like it or not, they must grit their teeth and survive this "purgatory". The only consolation may be: at least, that staggering salary can barely wipe away their sweat and tears.