Skip to main content
Join The Club
- Join our community
Live Q&A Sessions
Weekly interactive sessions
Member Competitions
Win exclusive prizes
Exclusive Content
Premium articles & videos
Early Access
First to see new features
Exclusive Newsletters
Football news direct to your inbox
Monthly Rewards
Surprise gifts & perks
GET CLUB ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your football news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
Get Club Access Quick

Join The Club for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation plus sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information, you confirm you are aged 16 or over, have read our Privacy Policy and agree to the Terms & Conditions. Geographical rules apply.

Background
Welcome to Fourfourtwo club !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Complete 1 quiz to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Football Quizzes

Football Quizzes

Quick quizzes for football fans.

Read Now
Football Crosswords

Football Crosswords

Football-themed crossword challenges.

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Find the subscription that suits you

Find the subscription that suits you

As a member of FourFourTwo we can offer you an extra 20% off when you subscribe to our magazine with voucher code FFTMEMBER20

Explore

Sign Out
FourFourTwo FourFourTwo FOOTBALL NEWS, FEATURES, QUIZZES
UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia US EditionUS CA EditionCanada KR Edition대한민국 TR EditionTürkiye
Subscribe
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Soccer Cleat Buying Guides
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Video
  • Features
  • Quizzes
  • Clubs
  • Membership
  • More
    • Interviews
    • Opinion
    • The Magazine Archive
    • Subscribe
    • How to Watch
    • About
    • Lists
Trending
  • 📺 How to watch the EPL in 2026/27
  • 📆 Football fixtures: Every game in every competition
  • 🇵🇹 Ronaldo
  • 🎤 Interviews
  • 🤝 Transfers
  • 🇦🇷 Messi
  • 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EPL
  1. Competition
  2. Premier League

Ranked! Which Premier League big-six club was hit hardest by the international break?

Features
By Greg Lea
Published 12 October 2017

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

6. Tottenham (38,186 miles)

6. Tottenham (38,186 miles)

Tottenham were the least affected of the Big Six, with 11 of their players racking up a combined distance of over 38,000 miles. The final group stage of World Cup qualification in Asia concluded last month, meaning Son Heung-min didn't have to return to South Korea, so instead played friendlies in Russia and Switzerland. Central defender Davinson Sanchez was therefore the man who travelled furthest, the Colombia international returning to South America for crucial clashes with Paraguay and Peru.

Elsewhere, Jan Vertonghen became Belgium's all-time record appearance-maker, Hugo Lloris kept goal for France in Sofia and Paris, and Harry Winks made his senior England debut in Lithuania.

Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
5. Chelsea (59,090 miles)

5. Chelsea (59,090 miles)

Chelsea's players travelled 21,000 miles more than Tottenham's, yet they still remain outside the top four of this list. An injury sustained by France's N'Golo Kante in the narrow victory over Bulgaria won't have pleased Antonio Conte, although Eden Hazard came through Belgium's double-header unscathed.

Thibaut Courtois also represented the Red Devils as they beat Gibraltar and Cyprus, while Willian was part of the Brazil squad that faced Bolivia and Chile.

Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
4. Arsenal (60,434 miles)

4. Arsenal (60,434 miles)

Chile forward Alexis Sanchez will not have been pleased with club team-mate and Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina, whose mistake against Peru helped knock the Chileans out of South American qualification. There was more bad news in Germany as Shkodran Mustafi injured his hamstring against Azerbaijan, but Mesut Ozil was left out of Joachim Low's squad in his bid to return to full fitness.

Elsewhere, Sead Kolasinac, Alexandre Lacazette and Aaron Ramsey all played in Europe, with Alex Iwobi and Mohamed Elneny taking part in African qualifiers for Nigeria and Egypt respectively.

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
3. Manchester United (64,125 miles)

3. Manchester United (64,125 miles)

Of the 80 players from the big six clubs who played for their countries, no one covered more miles than Ecuador's Antonio Valencia. Back-up goalkeeper Sergio Romero also made the long trip to South America, while Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan both broke the 5,000-mile barrier as they represented Ivory Coast and Armenia respectively.

Belgium midfielder Marouane Fellaini didn't have as far to go, but the injury he sustained while playing for the other Red Devils means he will miss Saturday's derby against Liverpool. David de Gea, Daley Blind, Marcus Rashford and Romelu Lukaku were also among those who remained in Europe.

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
2. Liverpool (71,023 miles)

2. Liverpool (71,023 miles)

Mohamed Salah was responsible for one of the best moments of the international weekend, scoring a late penalty against Congo to book Egypt's place in Russia next summer – but elsewhere in Africa, Sadio Mane picked up an injury while representing Senegal.

Brazilian duo Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho each clocked up 13,584 miles as the Seleção drew with Bolivia and beat Chile, while Ragnar Klavan, Jordan Henderson, Emre Can and Daniel Sturridge were involved in European qualifiers.

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
1. Manchester City (106,873 miles)

1. Manchester City (106,873 miles)

At 106,873 miles, Manchester City were the most disadvantaged by the latest international break. Interestingly, the Premier League table-toppers had the same amount of players on duty (15) as Liverpool and only one more than Manchester United and Chelsea, but a mammoth average distance of 7,124 miles per player puts them way out in first place.

John Stones, Raheem Sterling and Kyle Walker were part of the England group that secured qualification, with Leroy Sane, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and David Silva also involved in action in Europe. The trips to South America for Ederson, Gabriel Jesus, Danilo, Claudio Bravo, Fernandinho and Nicolas Otamendi are what will hit City hardest, though.

Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
TOPICS
Tottenham Hotspur Manchester United Manchester City Chelsea Arsenal
Greg Lea
Greg Lea
Social Links Navigation

Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).

Read more
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JUNE 13: Harry Kane of England arrives at Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport on June 13, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
Competition How many miles will England travel if they reach World Cup final?
 
 
Thomas Tuchel, manager of England, speaks to players at the hydration break during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 32 match against Congo DR at Atlanta Stadium on July 01, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia
Competition Who is making the most of hydration breaks at the World Cup?
 
 
Arsenal celebrate lifting the Community Shield
Competition The key factors determining the Premier League’s early 2026/27 favourites?
 
 
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JULY 18: England players applaud the fans after receiving the third place medal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Bronze Final between France and England at Miami Stadium on July 18, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Team England’s winners and losers from World Cup 2026
 
 
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JULY 18: Harry Kane #9 of England looks on during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Bronze Final between France and England at Miami Stadium on July 18, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Manuel Velasquez - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Player Harry Kane interview: "I thought I'd definitely be coming back to England, that itch isn't there as much anymore"
 
 
Arsenal star William Saliba en route to face Sweden at World Cup 2026
Team Arsenal could face worrying injury crisis at the start of the season
 
 
Latest in Competition
Joao Pedro of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Chelsea FC and Hull City at Stamford Bridge on September 12, 2026 in London, England
Competition How to watch Brentford vs Chelsea for FREE: Live streams
 
 
Michael Olise of FC Bayern Muenchen reacts during the Bundesliga 2026/27 match between SV Elversberg and FC Bayern München at Ursapharm-Arena on September 13, 2026 in Spiesen-Elversberg, Germany
Competition How to watch Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin: Free Streams
 
 
Manchester City Women
Competition How to watch Manchester City vs Liverpool: Live streams and TV channels for WSL clash
 
 
Polish forward Robert Lewandowski winks on stage after being awarded the Striker of the Year award the 2021 Ballon d'Or France Football award ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on November 29, 2021
Competition Robert Lewandowski won the 2020 Ballon d’Or by a record margin – want to see the proof?
 
 
Lazio Rome players celebrate with the Cup Winners' Cup trophy after beating Real Mallorca 2-1 in the final at Villa Park, Birmingham 19 May 1999. (Photo by RUI VIEIRA / PA / AFP)
Competition It's time to bring back the Cup Winners' Cup
 
 
A tifo is displayed inside the stadium before the Premier Sports Cup Quarter Final match between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox Stadium on September 13, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland.
Competition Four Days of Derbies: Stream Celtic vs Rangers, Millwall vs West Ham, Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid and more...
 
 
Latest in Features
Joao Pedro of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Chelsea FC and Hull City at Stamford Bridge on September 12, 2026 in London, England
Competition How to watch Brentford vs Chelsea for FREE: Live streams
 
 
Michael Olise of FC Bayern Muenchen reacts during the Bundesliga 2026/27 match between SV Elversberg and FC Bayern München at Ursapharm-Arena on September 13, 2026 in Spiesen-Elversberg, Germany
Competition How to watch Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin: Free Streams
 
 
Matteo Guendouzi and Neal Maupay went at it during Brighton's meeting with Arsenal in 2020
Person “Matteo Guendouzi was talking trash about money and how he was better than us – I scored a winner then rubbed it in his face” Neal Maupay on his infamous Arsenal bust up
 
 
Manchester City Women
Competition How to watch Manchester City vs Liverpool: Live streams and TV channels for WSL clash
 
 
Enzo Le Fee of Sunderland scores the second goal for his team and dons a Spiderman mask in celebration during the Premier League match between Everton and Sunderland at Hill Dickinson Stadium on May 17, 2026 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.
Player 'The Fairy' operating in the shadow of the all-conquering Granit Xhaka, who will go down as a modern-day Sunderland legend
 
 
Jess Park of Manchester United during the Barclays Women's Super League 2026/27 match between Manchester United and Chelsea FC at Progress with Unity Stadium on September 13, 2026 in Leigh, England.
Team What is going wrong for Manchester United Women?
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. 'On' athlete Kylian Mbappe
    1
    Who are On - the Swiss sports company who have taken Kylian Mbappe from Nike?
  2. 2
    How to watch Brentford vs Chelsea for FREE: Live streams
  3. 3
    How to watch Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin: Free Streams
  4. 4
    Thomas Tuchel sets Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold a new challenge after England recalls
  5. 5
    Has Manchester United teamsheet error shown Michael Carrick to be out of his depth at Old Trafford?

FourFourTwo is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About FourFourTwo
  • Advertise with us
  • Worldwide
  • How to pitch to FourFourTwo

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...