Football Player With the Most Games Played in a Season for the Last 15 Years

As footballers’ disgruntled statements regarding their jam-packed calendars pile up, a look into their actual on-field work numbers does provide them with even more weight. Especially for those most industrious athletes. A breakdown of every football player with the most games played in a season for the last 15 campaigns will show whether it was worth it in the trophy haul and the following career trajectory.

Many are noting that the packed schedule is only an issue for the best as they players as they have league, cup, and continental and international duties. Which this list confirms.

Looking at all the games within a season, including national team games, here are 15 football players with the most games played in a season for the last 15 seasons!

Football Player with the most games played in a season

2009/2010: Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool, Netherlands) - 69 games

By Wouter Engler - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

Perhaps one of the least surprising inclusions on this list as Dirk Kuyt was known for his hard-working efforts on the pitch. After all, he did end up playing in 894 competitive games for clubs and country! Of those, 69 came in the 2009/2010 season when he reached the final of the World Cup with the Dutch squad! He played 53 games with LFC that season, the rest with the orange shirt on. Scoring a total of 15 goals and making nine assists! Kuyt was still going strong after this season, playing 40+ club games seasons, despite turning 29 just before the start of the 2009/2010 campaign!

2010/2011: Giuseppe Rossi (Villarreal, Italy) - 68 games

By Rapallo80 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

Certainly the most surprising inclusion on this list of players who played the most matches in a single season as Guiseppe Rossi is known as an injury-prone player. A footballer who had a bright future prophetised but then suffered ligament injuries four times in his career! All after the 2010/2011 season in which he scored 32 goals and made 11 assists in 56 games for Villarreal! The rest of the games he played for Italy. He is often used as an example of workload breaking players as Guiseppe never had a season with 30 club games after that.

2011/2012: Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Argentina) - 78 games

One of two players with multiple appearances on the list of players with most games played in a single season. Also the player with the second-most games played in a campaign out of all these marathon-runners. Who just happen to be the best football player ever.

Messi did not only play in 60 games for Barcelona alone, he scored 73 goals and made 32 assists! Arguably the greatest individual season by a player ever! He won the Golden Ball in 2011 and 2012, UEFA's Best Player in Europe in 2012 but no major trophy - neither La Liga or Champions League! UEFA Supercup, Spanish SuperCup, and Copa del Ray were the consolation prizes.

2012/2013: Oscar (Chelsea, Brazil) - 80 games

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It's ironic - and entirely his blame - that Oscar will go down in football heritage as one of those "lazy players who chased money in China" despite being the busiest man in one season. Actually, of all the seasons in the last 15 years as he played 80 games in this campaign! More than anyone! Oscar put in the work for Chelsea, playing in 64 games across seven competitions, winning the Europa League only. He scored 12 goals and made nine assists. With another 16 games for Brazil, winning the Confederations Cup! Oscar did play 203 games for Chelsea, and 84 for Brazilian clubs, but the bulk of his efforts came in China, playing for Shanghai Port - 238 matches.

2013/2014: Alexis Sanchez (Barcelona, Chile) - 66 games

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One of the signature hard-working attacking players, and a man who had a big impact at Barcelona in the 2013/2014 season playing 54 games, scoring 21 times and making 16 assists! Still, FCB accepted Arsenal's offer for purchase the summer afterwards. Notably, he also scored seven goals in his 12 games for Chile. Sanchez is still going strong with 870 games so far for club and country at the age of 35!

2014/2015: Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Argentina) - 67 games

Obviously, Messi's a strong point that massive seasons aren't that damaging as he is often the most employed and certainly the most tackled player on the pitch. Yet he had nine seasons where he had more than 50 club games. None more successful than the treble-winning 2014/2015 when Messi played 57 games for Barca, scoring 58 goals and making 31 assists! Although, on the international stage, Messi did suffer two finals losses in 2014 and 2015.

Notoriously, Messi is still going strong with 1,095 games played in his career so far! While also not doing it halfheartedly, rather being one of the best players of the recent Copa America.

2015/2016: Javier Mascherano (Barcelona, Argentina) - 73 games

Argentina and Portugal have three spots on this list and Javier Mascherano is the second representative of the South American nation. As well as a Barcelona member for his feat as well. The tireless defensive midfielder really earned that moniker in Barcelona's domestic double season. With the UEFA Supercup sprinkled on it as well. Mascherano played in 51 club games despite getting two red cards and 14 yellow ones. He often captained Argentina at the time too, wearing a heavier burden in those 22 matches resulting even in a Copa America final failure.

2016/2017: Bernardo Silva (Monaco, Portugal) - 71 games

For a player so good technically, Bernardo Silva doesn't get enough credit for his endurance and work-rate. One of the benefits of being such a versatile player is that you always get to play and Bernardo Silva displayed that ability even early in Monaco with 58 games played, with 11 goals and 12 assists. He even missed some international games due to injury but still was the busiest player of the year. At the age of 30, he has 646 games played at a high level.

2017/2018: Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona, Croatia) - 68 games

While Luka Modric does deserve all the plaudits he got for pushing Croatia to the status of a footballing Pot 1 nation, Ivan Rakitic is overlooked a bit. The central midfielder took to the pitch 55 times for Barca with nine goal involvements, but taking Croatia to the World Cup finals in Russia! He did win La Liga with FCB that season, as well as the Copa del Ray. Still going strong, the 36-year-old might reach the big round number as he is currently at 944 career games!

2018/2019: Jorginho (Chelsea, Italy) - 68 games

As a central midfielder, taking a spot amongst the footballers with the most games per year holds extra value. Jorginho played 4,391 minutes across 54 games for Chelsea, winning the Europa League but losing the Community Shield and League Cup trophy matches. With another 14 games for Italy. Jorginho has over 600 matches at the age of 32 and has continued to be an important player without any major injuries despite the game toll.

2019/2020: Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City, Algeria) - 65 games

Perhaps another surprising inductee into the list of players who played the most games in a single season. Not just because Riyad Mahrez faced the tough spot competition at the Etihad, but also because he was one of the most tackled players in the Premier League. A symmetrical return of 13 goals and 13 assists in 50 matches for City that year brought a yield of a Community Shield and League Cup, although he didn't play in both silverware games. With 15 games for Algeria, the winger earned his salary. Now in Saudi Arabia, the late-bloomer has 619 games total at a top level!

2020/2021: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United, Portugal) - 77 games

Perhaps an unexpected inclusion this early in his Manchester United career, but Bruno Fernandes arrived in Manchester at the half-season yet in his first full campaign he was a busy bee. He played in 58 games for his club, scoring 28 goals - earning his penalty-taking reputation - and making 17 assists! With a lot of games for Portugal too, during which he didn't play in three games, so he could've reached 80 even.

2021/2022: Sadio Mane (Liverpool, Senegal) - 63 games

Sadio Mane's career can now be used as an argument for the side that advocates for fewer games. Considering that his form significantly dropped after this Herculian season. Mane even managed to be on this list while missing the World Cup due to injury! Yet he paid his dues with a Cup of Nations victory. He softened the Champions League final defeat with FA and League cups. Alongside scoring 23 goals in 51 LFC games! But the ensuing move to Bayern Munich was a fluke and he bounced away to Al-Nassr after just one season. Still, 654 games and counting for the 32-year-old, a dip is forgivable. Even though his taking of the season was done with the smallest number of games.

2022/2023: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United, Portugal) - 76 games

Two times in three years Bruno Fernandes was the player with the most matches played in a season! That's on top of being the key player in Manchester United's team and possibly the only man keeping them afloat. In 2023 he did get a symbol of it - a League Cup trophy. He was more balanced with goal involvements, 14 of both goals and assists, in 59 games! With a big number of international games due to the winter World Cup. Bruno had a bit of a nomadic career yet still got to 605 games at a top level while still being 30!

2023/2024: Ilkay Gundogan (Barcelona, Germany) - 66 games

A surprising inductee as Ilkay Gundogan was not only a newcomer at Barcelona, but he was 33 for the majority of the season. He played in 51 games with a new squad, scored five goals and made 14 assists. While he didn't win any trophies, not even in his 16 games for the national team that covered the domestic Euro, he did win the Footballer of the Year in Germany! As of now, the midfielder played 652 games at the highest level and is counting the seasons before he becomes a manager. It will be interesting to see his load management when he becomes it.