Biggest wonderkids 

Yamal, Bellingham & Yildiz included - Which U21 stars have played most minutes this season?

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The concern over burnout of top footballers has been extremely topical across recent months with more games than ever across the 2024/25 calendar. The Champions League has been extended in a new league format, with two extra games for all participating clubs with the new Club World Cup extended to 32 teams next summer.

Ballon d’Or winning Rodri notably bemoaned the workload for leading players just weeks before sustaining a serious ACL injury but he’s far from the only player to complain about the fixture calendar. It’s already been an incredibly busy start to the season with three international breaks crammed in and leading players have already racked up a striking amount of minutes. Young players are increasingly exposed to more top-level football than ever across history but which U21 players have played the most minutes this season across all club and international competitions – from only top five league players.

Which U21 stars have played the most minutes this season?

Given Hansi Flick’s faith in Barcelona’s acclaimed La Masia academy since replacing Xaxi last summer, it’s no surprise that two of their starlets top the list. No U21 starlet has racked up more gametime than Pau Cubarsí with the talented centre-back playing 1,984 minutes for Barcelona and Spain. Cubarsi’s club and international teammate Lamine Yamal ranks second with 1,747 minutes and it would’ve been higher but the winger pulled out of the Spain squad during the recent international break.

Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham makes it three La Liga players at the top of the list but it’s imperative to note that there’s been more games in the Spanish top-flight than other top five leagues. Castello Lukeba ranks third despite missing several games for RB Leipzig this season with the Frenchman cemented his reputation as one of the best young centre-backs in the world. Bayer Leverkusen sensation Florian Wirtz completes the top five while Manchester City’s Rico Lewis is the only Premier League entry in the top ten with Kenan Yildiz representing Serie A.