June 6 – When European clubs complain about their highly paid players being stretched to the limit by too much international competition, they often receive scant sympathy.
But new figures from the European Clubs Association make the point that without their prized stars, tournaments like the World Cup would be virtually unplayable.
The ECA has just released data showing that 74% of the 736 players who are going to Russia come from their members.
Research showed that 544 players from the 32 different 23-man squads are registered with clubs in UEFA member countries. They include 132 based in England after Brazil’s Fred joined Manchester United on Tuesday and Switzerland captain Stephan Lichtsteiner signed for Arsenal.
Manchester City has the biggest contingent with 16 players selected to play in Russia, the ECA said. Real Madrid has 15 and Barcelona has 14.
Asian clubs supply 82 players, or 11%, to the World Cup while Concacaf clubs provide 54 players.
Only 35 players are with South American clubs, including three home-based players each for Argentina, Brazil and Colombia.
The best-represented non-Europeans are Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia, each with nine players on duty in Russia.
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