‘Marathon runners’ and ‘sprinters’ in world football

Issue 443 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the exclusive data from our partners SkillCorner on the players* with record values in 40 competitions around the world for three indicators: distance covered, number of sprints during possession (>25 km/h for at least 0.7 seconds), as well as the same indicator during phases without the ball, in all three cases per 90’ of presence on the pitch.

In the European big-5, the following midfielders top the list in terms of distance covered per 90’: Sander Berge (Burnley FC), Koke Resurrección (Atlético Madrid), Daniel Boloca (US Sassuolo), Hugo Larsson (Eintracht Frankfurt) and Adrien Thomasson (RC Lens).

When it comes to the number of sprints in the defensive phase, full-backs tend to come out on top, with the notable exception of the incredibly generous Heung-Min Son (Tottenham Hotspur) in the Premier League.

As for sprints in the offensive phase, the top spots notably include Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea FC) in the Premier League, the very promising Karim Konaté (RB Salzburg) in the Austrian Bundesliga, Sheraldo Becker (Union Berlin) in the UEFA’s Champions League, the Algerian arrow Mohamed Amoura (Union Saint-Gilloise) in the Europa League, Biel (EC Bahia) in the freshly terminated Brasilierão, as well as Agustín Canobbio (Athletico Paranaense) in the Copa Libertadores.

* To be included, players had to have played at least 720’ up to 7 December 2023 in national competitions and 360’ in international competitions.

>>> Full data

About the CIES Football Observatory

The CIES Football Observatory is a research group created in 2005 within the Swiss-based Centre International d’Étude du Sport (CIES). It specialises in the statistical analysis of football, in particular in the areas of demographics, transfer values and performance.

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About the CIES

The International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) is an independent study centre located in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. It was created in 1995 as a joint venture between the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the University of Neuchâtel, the City and State of Neuchatel.

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