Welcome to the fifth edition of Men’s European Football Injury Index — a no‑nonsense look at what’s really happening to players’ bodies across Europe that Howden have put together.
This year’s report digs into five years’ worth of injury trends across the top men’s leagues, then zooms in on the 2024/25 season. There’s also a section on how the expanded FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ has piled even more pressure on players.
The big picture is simple – the workload on elite footballers keeps going up, and their bodies are paying the price.
The numbers this year show clear changes in both how often players are getting injured and how much those injuries are costing clubs. It’s a topic that’s sparking plenty of debate about how the game should protect its players. The report is designed to give clubs, players and decision‑makers the facts they need to make proper calls about the future, and we hope is of interest.
Premier League – five years at a glance
Across Europe’s top leagues, there were 22,596 injuries in the last five seasons — costing clubs £2.97bn. The Premier League alone accounts for nearly a quarter of those injuries, with clubs paying out over £1bn in wages to sidelined players.
Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United all spent above the league average on injury costs every single year. United topped the lot in the 2024/25 season, with £154.51m lost to injuries over the five‑year period.
FIFA Club World Cup™ impact
During June–July 2025 the nine European clubs involved picked up 25 injuries, the same as the year before. But the real damage came afterwards:
- Chelsea, who won the tournament, suffered 23 injuries between June and October — a 44% jump from the previous season.
- Manchester City had no injuries during the tournament itself but racked up 22 injuries in the three months that followed.
It’s the classic story: the job gets done, but the wear and tear shows up later.
2024/25 season highlights
Injuries went up slightly across Europe (+27) but the overall cost to clubs actually dropped by around £138m.
In the Premier League:
- Manchester United had a rough season on the pitch (finishing 15th), but oddly enough recorded their lowest injury count in five years.
- Liverpool, the champions, kept their injury costs low — around £12.69m — compared to Manchester City’s £35.53m, likely because their highest‑paid players stayed fit and on the field.
And what about Europe?
- Only Bayern Munich, PSG and Real Madrid broke the €40m mark for injury costs in a single season.
- Bundesliga clubs pick up the most injuries, but at a much lower cost — roughly €115.95m per season.
- Over five years, Real Madrid spent €168.76m on injuries, compared to Barcelona’s €122.99m.
- PSG is the only French club with above‑average injury numbers every year — nearly 300 injuries in total.
- In Italy, Juventus and AC Milan consistently recorded above‑average injury counts, with Juventus failing to win the league in any of those five seasons.
If you want a full breakdown the complete report has all the details.
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