Bukayo Saka burnout: Players who played as much minute by age 24 and how their careers turned out

This article discusses ten players who have participated in as many games as Bukayo Saka by the age of 24 and how their careers panned out.

By the time he was 24, Eden Hazard had accumulated an amazing 26,649 minutes of senior football, mostly from his outstanding achievements at Lille OSC in Ligue 1 and Chelsea in his early years. He is usually considered one of his generation's most technically gifted players.

Hazard was always the team's main focus of attack; he helped his team to win every game.

But this weight of expectation started to show in his later years, especially with his well-publicised 2019 Real Madrid transfer. La Liga's rigorous schedule heightened his already-existing wear and tear, which caused an alarming increase in injuries.

Early on, Hazard showed remarkable consistency and durability. But he started having repeated muscular problems, especially in his ankles and hamstrings, which limited his capacity to function at the high level expected of him.

Although Hazard occasionally displayed his prior genius, his career started to fall apart in his late twenties.

Despite sporadic heroic performances, he lost his fitness to have a lasting influence at Real Madrid and retired early in 2023.

His career is especially a grim reminder of the long-term physical effects of depending too much on young players, especially those expected to shoulder major creative responsibility.

Dele Alli, who had accumulated an incredible 24,591 minutes by the age of 24, mostly at Tottenham Hotspur, is another young player who was heavily used in the early years of his career.

Alli's flexibility, creativity, and goal-scoring ability helped him to become well-known in the Premier League, where he was praised highly and likened to the most outstanding attacking midfield players of his day.

Alli's career started to fall apart in his mid-20s, even though he was twice voted the PFA Young Player of the Year.

Originally successful.

A combination of physical and mental tiredness as well as a number of injuries prevented him from performing at his best. At twenty-five, his impact on the pitch had faded, and he struggled to go back to the vitality of youth.

Alli's career path shows the risks of early workload overload since his numerous loan moves and international visits failed to help his career to be rebuilt.

In modern football, the mental health problems young players face when driven into prominence at such a young age are a real concern; his experience emphasises the need of tackling this matter.

By the age of 24, Brazilian phenom Neymar—who is praised for his extraordinary talent and style—had accrued 24,316 minutes of professional football.

This number highlighted his crucial participation in Santos's and Barcelona's early triumphs as well as those of the Brazilian national team.

Unmatched in technical ability and creativity, Neymar carried the hopes of whole countries in the most important venues.

Though Neymar's potential is clear-cut, an injury curse starting in his early twenties has marred his career. These conditions, which mostly impacted his ankles and metatarsals, grew more frequent during his stay at Paris Saint-Germain because of the physical demands of Ligue 1 and the possibility of Champions League competition. Though Neymar can still win games when he is well, his recurring injuries have seriously hampered his career advancement. His tremendous early workload most certainly had a major role in his injury problems. His life story shows the need of preserving a player's health not just at their prime but also as they get older.

Having established himself as a talismanic figure for Manchester United and the England national team and exploded onto the scene as a precocious teenager with Everton, Wayne Rooney—one of England's greatest-ever talents—had an amazing 23,943 minutes of senior football under his belt by the age of 24.

Rooney's physicality, agility, and relentless work ethic clearly reflected the kind of player who often gave his all for his team.

Though Rooney had an amazing career length and was still performing at a high level well into his early 30s, the effects of ageing on his body grew more and more apparent with every passing year.

Injury, especially to his knees and hamstrings, started to affect his athletic ability.

Rooney moved to a deeper midfield position where his passing range and football knowledge could perhaps offset his mobility issues. Rooney's story emphasises the physical toll of playing such a rigorous schedule at a young age, but his tactical flexibility helped him to extend his career and maintain his relevance at the top level.

By the time he was twenty-four, Cristiano Ronaldo had spent 23,681 minutes playing senior football for Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Sporting Lisbon. His career stands out for its longevity and consistent quality.

Ronaldo's famed work ethic, great agility, and tenacity have helped him overcome the challenges of preserving ideal physical condition as a professional player.

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Ronaldo has had a fairly exacting attitude toward training, recovery, and injury avoidance, which has helped him to mainly avoid major setbacks over his career.

Ronaldo was able to stretch his best years into his late 30s by moving from an explosive winger depending on speed and dribbling to a clinical forward giving goal-scoring efficiency and positioning a priority.

Unlike the injury-torn careers of many young players, Ronaldo's career shows how individuals may succeed in modern football by combining genetic advantages, tactical flexibility, and disciplined rehabilitation techniques.

Among athletes who had a significant impression at a young age was Raheem Sterling, and by the time he was 24, he had accrued 23,121 minutes of senior football, mostly for Liverpool, Manchester City, and the England national team.

Early in his career, Sterling's involvement in almost every game defined him since he could score and assist and had explosive speed and nifty feet. He regularly featured in the starting roster for his club as well as the national team.

Sterling was clearly brilliant, but as he got into his mid-20s, his qualities started to wane. Sterling did not experience any major injuries, but he started to sustain a number of smaller ones mostly from muscular tiredness, which started to compromise his performance and consistency.

Given his great reliance on agility and quickness, his performance might have been greatly influenced by a change in his physical condition.

Sterling's inconsistent performance in his late twenties best illustrates the mental and physical toll regularly performing takes on a person.

His once-energetic attacking displays now show signs of susceptibility.

Given the injuries Michael Owen suffered in his latter years, it's beyond amazing that he had already accrued 22,294 minutes by the time he was 24 years old.

Owen's debut as a young prodigy with Liverpool immediately positioned him among the most gifted attackers in the world. His extraordinary goal-scoring, finishing accuracy, and lightning-fast pace made him an indispensable player for both his club and national teams.

But as his career developed, his initial heavy load started to show effects. Owen's play style was mostly based on his explosive agility, so he often suffered from muscular strains, especially in his hamstrings.

Early in his twenties, Ballon d'Or winner Owen was among the most gifted players on Earth, however, a string of injuries that affected his physical condition caused a sharp drop in his performances.

Having already torn several muscles, he was finding it difficult to recover the explosiveness that had brought him recognition by the time he was in his mid-20s.

Owen had unquestionable promise, but his diminishing physical condition kept him from retaining the same degree of impact at teams like Stoke City and Manchester United.

His career path is a sobering warning against the negative consequences of pushing young people too hard at the start of their careers since harm can be difficult to undo.

By the time Ryan Giggs was 24 years old, he had played 21,280 minutes for Manchester United. Retired at age forty after almost twenty years of service, Giggs was known for his incredible stamina and supposedly boundless energy.

His professional path differs greatly from that of most players on this list thanks to his capacity to sustain optimal fitness, which combined natural aptitude, careful self-care, and a perspective that gave injury prevention and injury rehabilitation first priority.

Unlike many of his colleagues, Giggs painstakingly managed his calendar, therefore avoiding burnout.

Though he was a regular player for his club as well as the national team, his performance was well-managed, especially in the later phases of his career.

Moreover, Giggs was an early adopter of creative exercise methods, including yoga, which kept his flexibility and avoided injuries.

Giggs sustained his efficiency by strategically adjusting to play a more pivotal role as a facilitator, even if he physically deteriorated.

Athletes that want to continue their careers in the style of Giggs have to follow a disciplined program of fitness and rehabilitation.

Early on, he tried to avoid the risks of over-exerting himself, which, in combination with his natural aptitude, helped to explain his longevity.

With 21,082 minutes, Marcus Rashford had played a lot of professional football for Manchester United by the time he was 24 years old. Beginning with his United debut as a teenage player, Rashford's quick ascent to prominence pitched him into many demanding matches both at home and abroad.

His directness, power, and agility helped him adopt really quickly into the United team. But Rashford's extremely rigorous calendar is starting to show effects.

His back and shoulder injuries have limited his mobility and interfered with his capacity to perform at his best.

These setbacks have caused his performance to drop and raised uncertainty about the long-term effects of his early playing time.

Rashford's experience reflects the growing concerns about the long-term viability of young players obliged to play lots of minutes at a young age.

Though his persistence in the face of hardship is inspirational, the physical strain of his early years may have a long-term effect on his professional path.

By the time he was 24 years old, Lionel Messi had only played a rather meagre 20,226 minutes compared to the other players on this list. This is despite his young career being distinguished by consistent brilliance.

Still, Barcelona's careful management of Messi's load and his natural energy-saving ability during games helped to explain the lower number of minutes Messi played during his early years.

Though his brilliant performances occurred in bursts, he was able to maintain his physical health by significantly affecting games without depending on explosive runs.

Despite Messi’s continuous physical difficulties all through his career, especially in his early twenties, his playing approach helped him reduce his chances of long-term injury even with these challenges.

His ability to adjust his playing style and manage his energy as his career progressed helped him to maintain a high level of performance far into his 30s.

When compared with the physical deterioration of other stars who were well-known momentarily, Messi's biography presents a strong refutation.

The ability of a player to control his workload, lower his reliance on his physical endowments, and preserve his technical competency at an elite level well into his 30s shows the possible advantages of a career balancing a large early burden with good management.