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Ranking every Premier League club by World Cup minutes played

Ben Stewart •

The 2022 World Cup has not disappointed and we have seen plenty of Premier League stars take centre stage and play a key role at this year’s tournament.

The good news is that each Premier League side had at least one player feature at the World Cup this year, but it’s fair to say that some clubs rank much better than others in this regard.

We’ve gone through each Premier League club and ranked them by how many minutes their players have featured in during the World Cup so far.

20. Southampton (270 minutes)

The Saints kick off the list in last place with a mere 270 minutes played at the World Cup. Armel Bella-Kotchap was at the World Cup but didn’t actually get on the pitch. All 270 minutes were from Ghana’s Mohammed Salisu.

19. Crystal Palace (406 minutes)

Denmark’s Joachim Andersen makes up the majority of Crystal Palace’s World Cup minutes with 270 minutes on the pitch during the tournament. Jordan Ayew also racked up 136 minutes for Ghana.

18. Newcastle United (454 minutes)

It’s a real shame that Bruno Guimaraes only got 67 minutes of action during the tournament for Brazil, especially considering how well he had been playing for Newcastle this season.

Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson each had their roles to play for England, but they did not feature in any matches past the group stages.

17. Bournemouth (495 minutes)

Chris Mepham and Kieffer Moore racked up a total of 495 minutes between themselves at the World Cup this year with Wales.

16. Brentford (509 minutes)

Mikkel Damsgaard, Mathias Jensen and Christian Norgaard all featured for Denmark in the tournament but ultimately struggled to make an impact as they finished rock bottom of Group D.

Bryan Mbeumo was Brentford’s most-used player at the tournament racking up 226 minutes for Cameroon, while David Raya remained as an unused substitute for Spain.

15. Wolverhampton Wanderers (510 minutes)

Only three of Wolves’ Portuguese stars managed to make the cut for the World Cup squad this year with both Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes getting time on the pitch. Raul Jimenez made three cameo appearances from the bench for Mexico but couldn’t find the back of the net.

Hwang Hee-chan was Wolves’ star performer at the tournament with this memorable goal to send South Korea through their group.

14. Leeds United (735 minutes)

USA duo Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams racked up 465 minutes between themselves. Rasmus Kristensen also started in all three of Denmark’s matches at the tournament.

13. Everton (752 minutes)

No goalkeeper has kept more clean sheets during the tournament than Everton’s Jordan Pickford who played every minute for England. The other players to feature in the tournament were Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye.

12. Nottingham Forest (867 minutes)

The bulk of Nottingham Forest’s minutes came from Wales with the likes of Wayne Hennessey, Brennan Johnson and Nico Williams racking up 470 minutes between themselves. Remo Freuler was also a staple in the Switzerland side as he started every match.

11. Leicester City (1001 minutes)

Danny Ward was given his opportunity for Wales after Hennessey was shown a red card in their second match. Timothy Castagne and Youri Tielemans each featured for Belgium while Daniel Amartey also got plenty of minutes.

It’s a real shame that James Maddison didn’t get any time on the pitch for England though, especially considering his electric form coming into the tournament.

10. Aston Villa (1113 minutes)

Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has been a star of the World Cup so far and has played a key role in Argentina making the final. The 30-year-old produced the heroics in the penalty shootout with the Netherlands and has played every minute for Argentina.

Other Aston Villa players to feature at the tournament include Jan Bednarek, Matty Cash and Leander Dendoncker.

9. West Ham United (1156 minutes)

Declan Rice started in each of England’s five matches and played a total of 418 minutes during the tournament. Lucas Paqueta was another of their stars who got plenty of game time for Brazil.

8. Fulham (1332 minutes)

Fulham had six players featuring at this years World Cup and they racked up 1332 minutes between themselves. Both Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson managed to play every minute possible for the USA.

Aleksandar Mitrovic was another of their most used stars and despite Serbia not making it out of their group he still got 263 minutes on the pitch.

7. Brighton (1426 minutes)

Brighton had eight players at the World Cup this year, but only seven of them got on the pitch as Robert Sanchez remained an unused substitute for Spain.

Alexis Mac Allister has been a star for Argentina and Brighton also had three players starring for Ecuador during the tournament.

6. Arsenal (1700 minutes)

As the first of the traditional big six to come on to the list, Arsenal players played a total of 1700 minutes at this year’s World Cup. The Gunners had 10 players at the tournament in total.

Bukayo Saka was one of England’s best players throughout the tournament, although the likes of Aaron Ramsdale and Ben White didn’t get the chance to get on the pitch.

5. Liverpool (1783 minutes)

Ibrahima Konate was a brick wall for France during their 2-0 triumph over Morocco and he could have a massive role to play in Didier Deschamps’ side winning the tournament.

Jordan Henderson also did a fine job for England, but it was a shame that Trent Alexander-Arnold only got 33 minutes on the pitch for Gareth Southgate’s side.

4. Chelsea (3020 minutes)

Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech were Chelsea’s two stars that made it all the way to the semi-finals. Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy also played all 360 minutes for Senegal.

Morocco's Hakim Ziyech celebrates after winning the penalty shoot-out of the FIFA World Cup Round of Sixteen match at the Education City Stadium

READ: Ranking Chelsea’s 12 players at the World Cup: Ziyech, Pulisic, Mount…

3. Tottenham Hotspur (3270 minutes)

Hugo Lloris will face Cristian Romero in the World Cup final this Sunday. Spurs have had a total of 11 players that featured at the World Cup this year.

England captain Harry Kane had a moment to forget against fellow Spurs teammate Lloris as he failed to convert his second penalty of the night. The penalty curse continues to haunt the Three Lions.

2. Manchester United (3474 minutes)

Man United had 13 players featuring at the World Cup this year who played a total of 3474 minutes between themselves. United defenders Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez will face off against each other in the final.

Their other most-used players during the tournament include the likes of Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw. Marcus Rashford also played his part in the England camp.

1. Manchester City (4199 minutes)

Given how much talent Man City have at their disposal, it is no real surprise to see them topping this list and by quite some distance. Julian Alvarez will be City’s sole representative in the final for Argentina.

In total, City have had 16 players to have featured at the World Cup this year which is more than any other Premier League side. Five City stars made up the England squad with John Stones racking up the most minutes.

READ NEXT: A totally unscientific ranking of every WC team based on their vibes

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