Two FC Barcelona players surpass 1,000 minutes played this season
If Futbol Club Barcelona were ever to create a modern adaptation of the famous collection of stories known as One Thousand and One Nights — which consists largely of anonymously written folklore tales passed down through generations — the title would almost certainly be One Thousand and One Minutes.
Such a tome would center on a pair of main protagonists, midfielder Sergio Busquets and the Golden Shoe winner Luis Suárez, and would trace their play, along with that of their teammates, through the first few months of the 2016/17 season. The Barça coaching staff would get credit for collectively authoring the work, which would describe the team’s thrilling adventures through the early stages of the campaign.
Busquets would take a leading role, by virtue of his 1,016 minutes played thus far (611 in La Liga, 241 in the UEFA Champions League, and 164 in the Spanish Super Cup).
Suárez, who has played 1,007 minutes (647 in La Liga, 270 in the Champions League, and 90 in the Super Cup) would be his wingman.
Take a look at the dramatis personae of Barça’s biggest protagonists in the 2016/17 season, to date:
PLAYERS | MINUTES |
Sergio Busquets | 1,016 |
Luis Suárez | 1,007 |
Gerard Piqué | 939 |
Neymar Jr | 900 |
Marc-André ter Stegen | 900 |
Ivan Rakitic | 884 |
Lionel Messi | 844 |
Javier Mascherano | 819 |
Sergi Roberto | 810 |
Arda Turan | 769 |