Jules Kounde has had an incredible year for club and country and has barely missed a minute for either Barcelona or France.

A new study by the CIES Sports Observatory has revealed he’s played more than anyone else in the biggest leagues in the world in 2024.

Kounde has actually played an eye-watering 5,872 minutes in total and has featured in 69 matches in total.

The Barcelona defender also still has one more game to play. He’s due to feature for Barcelona against Atletico on Saturday which will be appearance No. 70.

Kounde tops the charts ahead of Fluminense’s Jhon Arias (on a mere 5,599 minutes) and Real Madrid’s Fede Valverde who has mustered just 5,573 minutes.

It’s an extraordinary set of stats and made even more interesting when you realise that Kounde has admitted he goes in for extra training sessions.

Raheem Sterling has no intention of prematurely concluding his season-long loan spell at Arsenal, according to a report.

The former Liverpool and Manchester City forward was frozen out at Stamford Bridge by Enzo Maresca at the start of the season. Surprisingly left out of Chelsea’s squad for the first Premier League fixture of the campaign, Sterling sealed a west London exit on deadline day.

There was plenty of optimism about the deal at the time. Arsenal are reportedly paying less than half of Sterling’s £325,000 weekly wage – with Chelsea covering the remainder – and Mikel Arteta was excited to be reunited with a player he worked alongside at Manchester City.

However, Premier League starts have been hard to come by for Sterling and appearances of any length have stopped in recent weeks. The four-time top-flight champion has watched on as an unused substitute in Arsenal’s previous four matches across all competitions.

Sterling’s last league start for the Gunners was cut short in the 37th minute when Arteta was forced into a tactical reshuffle following William Saliba’s red card against Bournemouth in October. It was telling that the experienced winger was the player to be sacrificed.

Despite his minimal involvement, Sterling remains committed to Arsenal, according to the Evening Standard. The forward reportedly remains “determined” to win his place in the starting XI and is still considered a viable option for Arteta.

When Pep Guardiola’s former number two was asked if Sterling had been left on the sidelines for a specific reason this week, Arteta bluntly replied: “No.”

Arsenal’s boss has previously explained that Sterling’s lack of minutes has weighed heavily on him. “I would like him to play much more as I think he can impact the team in a very good way,” Arteta outlined earlier this month. “He’s very good in the dressing room and is absolutely desperate to play.”

90min

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr said his critics “continue to try to cancel me, to belittle me” after earning one of football’s biggest individual honours.

The Brazil international was named the men’s player of the year at the Fifa Best Awards on Tuesday, seven weeks after missing out on the Ballon d’Or.

The 24-year-old has repeatedly been racially abused while playing in Spain over the past two seasons.

Yet Vinicius scored a career-high 24 goals during the 2023-24 season, helping Real win La Liga and the Champions League.

“I came, I saw, I won,” he wrote on Instagram., external “Today I write this for that boy who saw so many idols lift that trophy…your time has come.

“That is, my time has come. The time to state that, yes, I am the best player in the world and I fought a lot to get here.”

Vinicius and his club boycotted the Ballon d’Or ceremony in October, with Real saying the club “does not go where it is not respected”.

Team-mates Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal were also nominated for the men’s award, which was won by Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri.

Vinicius, who joined Real from Flamengo in 2018, added: “They tried and continue to try to cancel me, to belittle me. But they’re not able to.

“Nobody is going to tell me for whom I can fight, or how I should behave. When I was in [home town] Sao Goncalo, the system didn’t work for me. I was almost swallowed up.

“I won for me, for my family. With a lot of support along the way: Flamengo, Real Madrid, the Brazilian national team, hundreds of my fellow players during those years…the people who share with me my daily routine, who admire me…the best player in the world.”

Real coach Carlo Ancelotti and forward Kylian Mbappe both won individual honours at the Ballon d’Or ceremony but neither was present to receive their award.

After Rodri was named the men’s winner, Vinicius posted on X: “They’re not ready.”

The Ballon d’Or and Fifa Best Awards are the two most prestigious in football, and Vinicius was present to collect his first Fifa prize in Doha.

The award – for football from August 2023 to August 2024 – was decided by a mix of public vote, one journalist from each country and the captain and manager of each national team. Each group’s vote counted for 25%.

Real Madrid were already in Qatar for Wednesday’s Fifa Intercontinental Cup final against Mexican side Pachuca at Lusail Stadium.

bbc