NAVAS: ONCE AGAIN A REFERENCE POINT

Jesús Navas just simply knows no boundaries. The captain of Sevilla FC continues to break records at 34 years of age, whilst continuing to have the trust of Julen Lopetegui as he is the player in the squad who has played the most games this season. This feat means that Navas continues to be the reference point for his teammates, the coaches and the fanbase; who continue to watch the Spanish international from Los Palacios as if he were a new player straight out of the academy.

Of his 32 games played this season, most of these will be found in LaLiga - as he has played in every single match. Out of 27 games, he has played 27 times. His other five appearances come in both cup competitions, with three games in the Copa del Rey and two in the UEFA Europa League. 

Putting it all together, it adds up to 2,848 minutes played which is something that not many players can match at this point. Moreover, it shows the confidence placed in him. Last season, he played a total of 3,583 minutes over 44 matches and it must be remembered that in that season (18/19), there was the Spanish SuperCup as well as UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds; and also the team reached the quarter final in the Copa del Rey.

De Jong, Diego Carlos, Vaclík and Fernando are the players that are closest to him

If you were to look at the players who come behind Navas' numbers with relation to minutes played this campaign, you would see that they aren't that far behind. Two of the summer arrivals, Luuk de Jong and Diego Carlos have both played 31 games in total. The centre-back has played 25 games in LaLiga, 4 in the Europa League and 2 in the Copa del Rey; on the other hand De Jong has managed 24 league games, 4 Europa League games and three in the Copa del Rey. Between these two, it is the defender who has played the more minutes: having played 2,705 compared to the Dutchman's 2,135.

Diego Carlos is second on the list behind Navas

Next on the ladder and a little further away from Navas is goalkeeper, Tomas Vaclík. Despite having missed a few games due to injury, he has still played 26 of the 27 league games; as well as 2 games in the Copa del Rey, and another 2 in the Europa League - taking his total to 30 (2,655 minutes). Vaclík puts himself just behind Navas and Diego Carlos in minutes played, which although impressive, is to be expected as given his position as 'keeper, he has only been substituted once due to injury. The player who comes in at third position in minutes played this season is Fernando Reges. He has accumulated 28 matches overall - 24 in LaLiga, 3 in the Europa League and 1 in the Copa del Rey; with a total of 2,389 minutes.

With all this you can see how there are different variants in the distribution of both matches played and minutes played. In any case, it can be concluded that the 'Duende de Los Palacios' is the one who always leads the way.