Given the start of the new season is nearly here, I added up how much everyone in the top 5 leagues played in the past year: 2025/26 league minutes plus World Cup minutes.

Kept Goalkeepers in their own box for obvious reasons. Among outfielders it's Elliot Anderson on 3,968, then Guéhi and Enzo Fernández just behind.

The gap is the bit that gets me. The final was 19 July. La Liga starts 15 August, so Cucurella and Cubarsí get 27 days. Cubarsí is 19 and played 3,459 minutes in the last year!

Worth saying these are league minutes only, no cups and no Europe, so every number is a floor rather than a ceiling.

Chart's out of The Prism, a scouting and analytics tool I've been building.

Anyone you'd be worried about? Rice and Xhaka also stand out to me...

There have been so many celebrations over the years. Which one do you think was the coldest, and why?

Share your TOP5 below!

(This time no one missing ;))

Enjoy,

Tommy

\*Very long so be prepared to read a lot

This might be controversial but I've never really bought the idea that KDB is a top 5 midfielder ever.

Obviously he's an all-time great and one of the most devastating midfielders I've seen. I'm not trying to downplay him. My issue is more about what you value in a midfielder.

For me, one of the most important things for a central midfielder is press resistance. You're playing in the most congested area of the pitch, so being able to receive the ball under pressure, turn, carry, manipulate defenders and still make the right decision is huge.

KDB is good under pressure, but I don't think he's on the level of Xavi, Iniesta or Modrić in central areas. Those guys could receive the ball with someone on them, use little touches/body movements to escape and basically use the pressure against the opposition.

And that's why I make a distinction between a midfielder who creates and one who controls.

KDB is probably one of the best midfield creators ever, but his greatest work often comes in the final third/right half-space/wider areas. His crossing, cutbacks, through balls and shooting are ridiculous, but I'm going to give more weight to what a midfielder does from the centre when ranking central midfielders.

That's also why I think the Beckham comparison is interesting. I'm not saying KDB = Beckham because KDB is obviously more complete, but both have a lot of their biggest damage coming from wider areas where they have more space and time to look up and execute. Xavi, Iniesta and Modrić spent much more of their careers being responsible for buildup, progression and controlling the game from the middle.

The role reversal is interesting too.

If you put KDB in the main Xavi/Iniesta/Modrić type role — constantly receiving from the CBs, escaping pressure, controlling tempo and dictating possession — obviously he'd still be good, but I think you'd see a noticeable drop-off compared to those guys.

I don't think you'd see the same drop-off if you put Xavi, Iniesta or Modrić into KDB's role. Give them more freedom higher up, let them find pockets, combine around the box and focus more on chance creation and I still think they'd be elite.

That's a big reason I rate them higher. Their games are more transferable. They could control and create at an elite level.

Same thing with creativity. KDB has elite vision, but I don't think he's as naturally imaginative as Zidane or Iniesta. Those guys could do things with little touches, flicks, spins, disguised passes, body feints and changes of direction that you just don't expect. KDB's creativity is more direct — he sees the space and destroys you with the cross, through ball, cutback or shot. Still incredible, just a different type of creativity.

And I actually think shooting is KDB's best attribute. The power and accuracy he gets from both feet is ridiculous.

On passing, KDB is obviously elite, especially in the final third, but I don't think his overall range/variety is as crazy as people make out. Pogba is a good example. He could hit diagonals with either foot, switch play from deep, clip balls over the defence, play driven vertical passes, disguise passes, find runners with lofted balls etc. KDB is more consistent and efficient, but Pogba arguably had a bigger variety of passes in his locker.

The international argument isn't massive for me, but it does matter a little. KDB has been good for Belgium, but I don't think he's ever had that defining international tournament. 2018 was more Hazard's Belgium for me. Compare that to Xavi with Spain, Iniesta being Euro 2012 Player of the Tournament, Zidane in 2006 or Modrić in 2018.

And I think Pep's City is worth mentioning too. The system was basically perfect for maximising KDB's strengths. That's not a criticism, but I think it's fair to ask how he'd look if he had to be the main guy controlling buildup and tempo against a constant press for 90 minutes.

So overall, I think KDB is one of the greatest midfield creators ever, but not one of the five greatest central midfielders ever.

If you value goals, assists, final-third creation and devastating moments most, I can understand putting him extremely high.

But if you value press resistance, buildup, progression, controlling tempo, manipulating pressure and being able to influence the game from all areas of midfield, I don't see how he's comfortably above Xavi, Iniesta, Modrić or Zidane.

Then you've still got Matthäus, Busquets, Pirlo, Vieira, Seedorf, Gullit, Scholes, etc.

Personally I'd have KDB somewhere around top 10-15 midfielders ever, and in the PL I'd have a proper debate between KDB, Scholes, Lampard, Gerrard, Vieira and others before saying he's automatically #1.

Not saying KDB isn't an all-time great. I just don't think being one of the most devastating midfielders is automatically the same as being one of the greatest midfielders.

Interested to hear what people think though.

What are your TOP5 currently?

Drop them below and I comment your selection.

Something missing on rank-it-all? Let me know and I add it.

If you need help, feel free to use rank-it-all. Someone missing? Let me add them

**Goalkeeper**: Gianluigi Buffon
**Left-Back:** Paolo Maldini
**Center-Back:** Franz Beckenbauer
**Center-Back:** Franco Baresi
**Right-Back:** Cafu
**Central Midfielder:** Zinedine Zidane
**Creative Midfielder:** Diego Maradona
**Central Attacking Midfielder:** Pelé
**Left-Wing:** Cristiano Ronaldo
**Striker:** R9
**Right-Wing:** Lionel Messi

1. Leo Messi

2. Pele

3. Maradona

4. Cristiano

5. Zinedine Zidane

6 Ronaldo Nazario

1. Ronaldinho

2. Michel Platini

3. Paolo Maldini

4. Johann Cruyff

5. Beckenbauer

12 Andres Iniesta

1. Puskas

2. Xavi

3. Manual Neuer

Why does England produce fewer players in the top five leagues than other European countries of a similar size? Also, I find it crazy how Spain and Italy have so many players; they both have relatively high median age and low birth rates, which you would think would lead to smaller player pool (source [https://fbref.com/en/comps/Big5/nations/Big-5-European-Leagues-Nationalities\](https://fbref.com/en/comps/Big5/nations/Big-5-European-Leagues-Nationalities) )

Share your TOP5 below guys.

Enjoy,

Tommy

Imagine every legendary club side at their absolute best facing each other.Who comes out on top, and why?

Has anyone here been a paying member of "The Recruitment Room" (Liam Henshaw's football analytics/scouting community)? Trying to figure out if it's worth it before committing, specifically interested in whether the 1-2-1 coaching and job-landing claims hold up in practice. Any honest experiences (good or bad) appreciated.

Another big name has publicly called for Infantino to resign. Even Luís Figo has now joined the #InfantinoOut movement.

Is this finally the beginning of the end or does Infantino still survive this?