10 Footballers With Most Minutes Played Across Europe’s Top 5 Leagues Since 2020

You know what they say: availability is the best ability. There are some players in Europe’s top five leagues – from the Premier League to La Liga – that find themselves marred by injury issues; others, however, tend to play the majority of minutes.

Every team needs one, that’s for sure – and Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes is the epitome of being a reliable source of gametime. And since his move to Old Trafford, from Sporting CP, in January 2020, the Portuguese has been ever-present.

But which club from Europe’s top five leagues has relied most heavily on their primary goal-getter, a reliable centre-back or a midfielder who is central to their play? Since Fernandes’ aforementioned transfer in 2020, The Athletic have crunched the numbers to find out.

Although the following quintet of players failed to crack the top five, their respective tallies prove that they are more than reliable when avoiding the queue for the treatment table. Barcelona’s versatile defender Jules Kounde has racked up 19,849 minutes.

AS Roma’s Gianluca Mancini and Harry Kane of Bayern Munich – previously of Tottenham Hotspur – have played 19,865 and 20,045 minutes, respectively. The latter, in particular thanks to his goals, has been especially influential in his side’s domestic success.

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Ederson – widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in world football – has been central to Pep Guardiola’s success in Manchester and, in turn, has played 20,047 minutes since 2020. Elsewhere, Antonio Rudiger has racked up 20,076 minutes for Real Madrid and Chelsea.

5

Mohamed Salah, Liverpool

Minutes played since 2020/21: 20,108

You could argue that Mohamed Salah is one of the best players in Premier League history. The Egyptian right-winger, who moved to Liverpool from AS Roma in 2017, is the club’s goalscorer-in-chief and, in return, has left plenty of records in ruins at his feet, and that’s been aided by his impressive availability record.

Since 2020, Salah has played 20,108 minutes for the Reds. In that time, he’s won the Champions League once and has become a two-time Premier League champion. At present, he’s showing very few signs of slowing down and could be on course to become the Premier League’s all-time top goalscorer.

4

Declan Rice, Arsenal

Minutes played since 2020/21: 20,149

From West Ham United’s captain to one of the best performers in the English top flight, Declan Rice’s career is one to behold – and the fact that he has played so much football of late makes sense. In terms of his stint in north London, he’s a vital cog in Mikel Arteta’s system and, without him, they look a shadow of themselves.

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The English midfielder being a virtual ever-present, having chalked up 20,149 minutes since 2000, is no surprise as his presence in the engine room has been the bedrock of an Arsenal side pushing for silverware – and fans can only expect that number to rise in seasons to come.

3

Jan Oblak, Atletico Madrid

Minutes played since 2020/21: 21,273

He’s one of La Liga’s highest-paid players for a reason, right? Jan Oblak has been on Atletico Madrid’s books since moving from Portuguese side Benfica in 2014 and his status as their first-choice goalkeeper has seldom been in doubt, as evidenced by his tally of minutes over the last five years or so.

The 32-year-old’s credible career for Los Colchoneros has consisted of one La Liga title and a few near misses in the Champions League final – but that’s not to say that he’s not been key to Diego Simeone’s side and everything they’ve managed to muster. In fact, he’s been Europe’s third-busiest player since 2020.

2

Alex Remiro, Real Sociedad

Minutes played since 2020/21: 21,576

Real Sociedad’s primary shot-stopper, Alex Remiro, since 2020, has chalked up an impressive 21,576 minutes – which makes him the continent’s second-most used player since that aforementioned timestamp, all for La Real – a club he joined from Athletic Club – it should be added.

Goalkeepers are, typically, less vulnerable to changes in the line-up – and Remiro’s position on this list is certainly befitting of that notion. A twice-capped Spain international, he’s seldom tasted success at the Reale Arena (with only a Copa del Rey to show for) but it would be remiss to disregard how influential he has been while operating between the sticks. Especially, as it seems, that he’s always readily available.

1

Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United

Minutes played since 2020/21: 22,823

Finally, let’s talk about Fernandes. What is there left to say about the talismanic 30-year-old? Manchester United would be, without a doubt, much worse off without him being consistently reliable – and his tally of 22,823 (north of 1,000 more than Remiro) attests to his outrageous availability.

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It’s a surprise given that so many players at Old Trafford tend to easily pick up niggles here and there – but not Fernandes, widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. The fact that he has recently committed his future to the club is only good news for those associated with the club.

All statistics per The Athletic – correct as of 10/06/2025