Across Europe, the first international window of the season has left its mark well beyond the stadiums where national teams gathered. Sixteen days of fixtures, with some players facing as many as four matches, have sent clubs back into domestic action carrying a sizeable medical bill: at least 60 first-team players from Europe’s five major leagues returned with injuries, knocks or physical discomfort.
The Premier League has absorbed the largest share, with 16 affected players, followed by Serie A on 14, LaLiga on 13, Ligue 1 on nine and the Bundesliga on eight. The total includes footballers hurt or troubled while away with senior national sides and youth teams alike, a distinction that has brought under-21 internationals such as Espanyol’s Javi Hernández, Sevilla’s Fran González, Lille’s Ethan Mbappé and Paris Saint-Germain’s Senny Mayulu into the count.
Spain’s leading names return under a cloud
LaLiga’s total is not the highest, but several of its cases concern players central to the division’s biggest clubs. Real Madrid saw both Kylian Mbappé and Ibrahima Konaté return early from international duty with physical issues, while Barcelona monitored Raphinha and Eric García. Raphinha was taken off at half-time during Brazil’s match against Australia after discomfort in his right thigh, then left the squad when a minor muscular oedema was identified. Subsequent checks at Barcelona’s training ground ruled out a more serious injury.
Athletic Club’s Nico Williams also departed his national-team camp before schedule because of a muscle problem, and Bayer Leverkusen’s Alejandro Grimaldo was forced to leave the Spain group. Getafe striker Martín Satriano could not complete Uruguay’s programme after a knee complaint. Celta Vigo had three players affected in Mihailo Ristić, Carl Starfelt and José María Cáceres, while Real Betis received Junior Firpo carrying a left-adductor muscle injury sustained with the Dominican Republic. Hernández and González complete the Spanish-league group after problems on Spain under-21 duty.
England’s clubs have been hit more widely. Arsenal’s Kai Havertz and Christos Tzolis are among the 16 Premier League cases, alongside Liverpool pair Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo, Manchester United’s Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui, Brentford’s Mikkel Damsgaard, Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, and Sunderland’s Brian Brobbey and Dan Ballard. Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly also encountered trouble, as did Erling Haaland, who asked to be substituted in Norway’s game against Portugal because of fatigue and muscular discomfort. His issue is not considered serious and he is expected to play this weekend.
Jeremy Jacquet, Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa, Brighton & Hove Albion defender Jan Paul van Hecke and Tottenham Hotspur’s Micky van de Ven make up the remaining Premier League names in the count.
Italy close behind as Germany loses Musiala
Serie A’s 14 cases span much of the league. Emil Holm, Pervis Estupiñán, Antonio Raimondo, Nicolò Zaniolo, Costantino Favasuli, Niccolò Fortini, Giacomo Raspadori, Albert Gudmundsson, Antonio Vergara, Giovanni Fabbian, Morten Frendrup, Koni De Winter, Zeki Çelik and Ange-Yoan Bonny all suffered physical setbacks during the international break.
In France, Barcelona forward Ferran Torres was among the most prominent absentees, leaving Spain duty because of ongoing pain in his left ankle. PSG’s Mayulu was affected while with France under-21s, as was Lille’s Ethan Mbappé before the young French side’s match against Estonia. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Derek Cornelius, Himad Abdelli, Amine Gouiri, Aleksandr Golovin and Amadou Haïdara complete the nine Ligue 1 players affected.
The Bundesliga has the smallest total, although Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala is a major concern after picking up a right-thigh muscle injury in the warm-up before Germany’s match with the Netherlands. Hamburg lost Albert Grønbæk to a muscle tear against Norway and Patson Daka returned injured after representing Zambia. Bayer Leverkusen’s Ben Seghir, RB Leipzig duo Arthur Vermeeren and Antonio Nusa, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Can Uzun and Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Paul Wanner were the other Bundesliga players to encounter problems.
As club football resumes after being paused in mid-September, the five leagues return with an average of 12 affected players apiece. Some will be available immediately, others will require further assessment, but the first long international gathering of the campaign has already reshaped squad planning from Madrid and Barcelona to Milan, Paris, Munich and England’s crowded fixture calendar.
