Real Madrid have endured a demanding season where they have played more matches than any other team in Europe’s top leagues.
The Spanish giants have been battling on all fronts, with their schedule packed to the brim due to their continued progress across multiple competitions.
Despite the heavy fixture list, Carlo Ancelotti’s men have remained competitive and successful, having already secured two trophies out of the three finals they have played this campaign.
Up until now, Real Madrid have played 50 matches, which is the maximum any Spanish club could have played at this stage of the season.
However, their season is still far from over, with a guaranteed minimum of 65 matches to be played. This figure accounts for their remaining nine matches in La Liga, two fixtures in the Champions League, one in the Copa del Rey, and three in the Club World Cup.
If Real Madrid reach the finals of all competitions they are still competing in, the total number of matches could reach a staggering 72.
Most used players
Ancelotti and his players have often voiced their concerns over the demanding schedule. However, despite their frustrations, the reality is that there is little they can do to change it.
As a result, several key players have accumulated an extraordinary number of minutes on the pitch.
To put things in perspective, six Real Madrid players feature in the top 35 footballers across Europe’s five major leagues with the most minutes played this season.
Federico Valverde leads the pack with 4,759 minutes, followed by Kylian Mbappe with 4,278 minutes, Jude Bellingham with 4,143 minutes, Antonio Rudiger with 4,067 minutes, Vinicius Jr. with 3,965 minutes, and Aurelien Tchouameni with 3,961 minutes.
What’s more, these statistics do not even include the additional minutes played by Real Madrid’s internationals when they represent their national teams.
There is a bigger problem
Apart from these minutes, one of the most significant issues facing Real Madrid this season is their difficulty in finishing the games in regulation time.
Since the start of 2025, the team has struggled to put games to bed efficiently. Instead, they are often required to keep their best players on the pitch for extended periods, leaving them physically drained.
There have been at least 16 matches this season where Real Madrid either failed to win or narrowly scraped victory.
Notable examples include their comebacks ...
