Navas, Roadrunner of Europe

Although in previous seasons he had suffered some muscular problems, Jesús Navas seems to be living a second or third youth as a ubiquitous right-back at Sevilla. He is on his way to 35 years but has become on the Roadrunner of Europe. Navas is the field footballer of the five great continental championships who accumulates the most minutes in his tournament regularly, no less than 3,281. In front of him there are only two other players, also from LaLiga, but both exercise under the sticks: ex-Sevilla player David Soria (3,330, every minute), from Getafe, and athletic Jan Oblak (3,306).

Behind Navas, in 4th position, is the also Spanish David De Gea, that not one of the 3,270 in the Premier League has been lost as a goalkeeper for Manchester United. Navas has started in 36 of the 37 league matches played so far. He was only a substitute at La Cerámica de Vila-real, where he came out in the second half to assist the draw to the final two. In addition, he has lost a regulated minute in Valladolid and another three in Leganés. The other 34 League matches have been completed, as happened in Anoeta, where many expected him to have rest thinking about the Europa League.

It was precisely in the continental tournament that the Duende of Los Palacios played the least this season. 149 minutes, all of them in the round of 32 tie against the Romanian Cluj. In Copa del Rey, Navas completed three of the four qualifying rounds played by Sevilla for 270 minutes, bringing the total sum of minutes this season to the 3,699 with Sevilla and another 279 with the Spanish National Team, where he returned to be the starter, qualification for the European Championship. IF nothing strange happens it will surely exceed 4,000 minutes between the duel against Valencia and the remainder of the Europa League, at least the round of 16 match against Roma on August 6.