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The €732 Million Blind Spot in EU Football

Written by
VueMotion
Published on
April 23, 2025
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Injuries are no longer just bad luck. They're a billion-euro blind spot. The latest Howden European Football Injury Index lays it bare:

  • 4,123 injuries
  • €732 million lost

That’s an injury every 92 minutes of game time — nearly one per match. Let that sink in.

Over the last four seasons, top-flight European clubs have shelled out €2.3 billion covering injuries, and that’s just salary costs. Not including treatment, rehab, missed wins, tanked transfers, or fan backlash.

Here are some other sobering stats:

  • EPL clubs top the charts: €318.8 million in injury costs last season alone — €3,698 per minute of football.
  • Bundesliga sees the most injuries: 1,255 incidents in 2023/24 — that’s 70 injuries per team on average.
  • Players under are getting hit hardest with their injuries jumping +187% since 2020.

Injuries aren’t just hurting players. They’re derailing seasons.

Conversely, the Howden’s report shows clubs with fewer injuries finish higher. Period.

  • Leverkusen: 36 injuries. Unbeaten Bundesliga champions
  • Fiorentina: Only 27 injuries across 58 games. Made a European final
  • Aston Villa: UCL qualification — while staying relatively injury-free

Contrast that with clubs drowning in injury chaos:

  • Newcastle & Man United: Over 75 injuries each
  • Chelsea: Highest average injury cost — €640,000 per player

The message? Teams that stay healthy, win.

What Can Be Done?

Most clubs still rely on the naked eye, guesswork and player feedback. They’re reactive when they could be predictive.

This is where VueMotion is changing the game. Teams that regularly test their players are able to not only pick-up fatigue or fluctuations in performance, but poor movement patterns, all of which contribute to injuries.


The benefits of regular athlete testing in-season are not limited to:

  • Identify asymmetries or other movement deficiency before it becomes an issue - reducing injury risk and improving movement patterns
  • Track progress over time, session by session, identifying fluctuations in performance
  • Integrate seamlessly into rehab, return-to-play, and performance protocols

Stay tuned for our case study on one NFL team that has seen a huge reduction in injuries by utilizing VueMotion.