Injuries have always shaped football seasons, but the scale and financial hit of the current crisis across Europe’s major leagues is becoming impossible to overlook. Clubs are losing staggering sums to long-term absences, with players missing months rather than weeks due to the demands of the modern calendar. Cruciate ligament tears, recurring muscle complications and lengthy rehabilitation periods are combining to create a landscape in which squads are stretched thin and budgets are being drained by unavailable talent.
Across the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons, the rising volume and duration of injuries has exposed a growing structural problem. The relentless nature of elite football - from domestic fixtures to international breaks, pre-season tours, expanded European competitions and mid-season events - has contributed to an environment where players are working at maximum intensity with minimal recovery time. Recent analysis of injury data across the Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga, Ligue 1 and Serie A paints a vivid picture of how the financial and sporting consequences of these absences are becoming increasingly significant. The Premier League, with its high wages and sustained physical intensity, features particularly prominently throughout the findings.
Data reveals most expensive injuries in Europe - Premier League dominates
Gabriel Jesus after missing
The study identifies the most financially costly injuries over the last two seasons, and the numbers are striking. The most expensive absence in this period belongs to Gabriel Jesus, whose cruciate ligament injury cost Arsenal €15.83 million in wages during a 354-day spell on the sidelines. His case is far from unique. The Premier League’s six most expensive injury absences all stem from ACL tears - a sign of how devastating those injuries have become both physically and financially.
Manchester City appear repeatedly in the data. Rodri’s ACL injury cost the club €8.7 million after he missed 56 games, making it the second-most expensive absence in the Premier League. John Stones also suffered a significant spell out, contributing to one of City’s most disrupted defensive periods in recent years. Manchester United are not far behind, with Lisandro Martínez’s recurring injury problems costing the club €5.9 million across the 2024/25 campaign. His intermittent availability had a major impact on United’s defensive cohesion, while the financial cost of his time out underlines how clubs are paying for more than just performance issues.
The early stages of the 2025/26 season have already introduced a new headline name. James Maddison’s cruciate ligament tear has cost Tottenham €8.51 million in wages, and the nature of the injury means he is not expected to return until at least March 2026. If his recovery follows the typical pattern, he will become the most expensive injury of the entire season. The average ACL rehabilitation period of around 238 days - with recovery sometimes stretching beyond that - creates a huge burden for clubs trying to maintain consistency.
Elsewhere in Europe, the financial strain is equally visible. Eder Militao’s cruciate ligament injury cost Real Madrid €9.3 million in the 2024/25 season alone, a figure inflated by the number of matches he missed during his lengthy recovery. In Germany, Bayern Munich have endured the absence of Jamal Musiala, whose broken fibula sidelined him for 14 matches and cost the club more than €6 million. Serie A, meanwhile, recorded the highest total number of injuries across the two-season window, reinforcing the idea that the physical toll of modern football is not isolated to one league.
Physiotherapist Kieran Sheridan explains why ACL injuries dominate the upper end of the cost spectrum. He notes that football places enormous strain on the knee joint through constant changes of direction, sudden stops and heavy collisions. Once the ligament tears, the recovery process becomes long and complex, with rehabilitation often stretching between six and twelve months. Sheridan also warns that players who return prematurely risk chronic knee issues or even long-term damage that could shorten careers. His insight highlights the growing tension between player welfare and the packed football schedule.
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The financial losses outlined in the data serve as a window into far deeper structural challenges. Football has never been faster, more physically taxing or more congested. Clubs are attempting to compete on multiple fronts while navigating tight turnaround times, and the medical consequences are increasingly visible. Season-defining absences are no longer rare events; they are woven into the fabric of the sport.
For clubs, the problem extends beyond missing a starting player. Long-term absences distort tactical plans, disrupt squad rotation patterns and force managers to push backups into more demanding roles. When a player earning hundreds of thousands a week is unavailable for months, the economic burden is significant. Profit and sustainability regulations make this even more complicated, as paying out millions in wages to injured players can directly impact recruitment strategies and transfer budgets.
ACL injuries, in particular, represent a growing concern. They not only remove key players for the majority of a season but also often affect performance levels long after the player returns. The psychological aspect of returning from such a severe injury adds another layer of complexity. For clubs investing heavily in star players, the risk associated with such injuries is higher than ever.
In many ways, this data forces a conversation about what elite football is currently demanding from its athletes. As competitions expand and calendars tighten, clubs are left searching for solutions that may not exist within the current structure of the sport.
What comes next for clubs across Europe?
The findings make one thing clear: clubs will need to rethink how they manage their squads in a climate where long-term injuries are both more common and more financially damaging. Many will be compelled to invest even more heavily in sports science, conditioning programmes and recovery protocols. Others may place increased emphasis on building deeper squads or recruiting versatile players capable of covering multiple roles when injuries occur.
For the players currently sidelined - whether it's Maddison, Jesus, Martínez, Musiala or Militao - the emphasis is firmly on recovery. But for their clubs, the implications extend far beyond medical rooms. As long-term injuries continue to reshape seasons, the pressure to adapt, modernise and better protect the squad will only intensify.
This article uses data commissioned by LiveFootballTickets