Carney Chukwuemeka's Unusual Playing Record
Carney Chukwuemeka has appeared 32 times for Chelsea in all competitions but has never completed a full match.
This week, Chukwuemeka's name trended widely on social media, not due to a spectacular goal or skill, but because of a unique statistic. The former Aston Villa and Chelsea midfielder has now made 97 senior appearances across all competitions without ever playing a full 90 minutes.
The 22-year-old made his senior debut for Aston Villa on the last day of the 2020-21 Premier League season against Tottenham Hotspur. Since then, he has started 18 games but has always been substituted before the final whistle. The closest he has come to playing a full match is reaching the 82nd minute on two occasions: during a 4-1 defeat for Chelsea at Manchester United in May 2023, and a 1-1 draw for Borussia Dortmund at Hamburg in November 2025.
His remaining 79 appearances have all been as a substitute. The distribution of his appearances is 16 for Aston Villa, 32 for Chelsea, and 49 for Borussia Dortmund since his transfer in 2024.
This record is not a reflection of his ability. Dortmund manager Niko Kovac praised him highly, stating after a 6-0 victory over Union Berlin last year:
"The way he takes the ball and carries it, the way he immediately turns in the direction of play, that is really unique. He has very good acceleration and technique. The boy will give us joy."
Impact of Five Substitutes on Player Usage
The shift in player usage patterns can be traced back to the Covid-19 pandemic. Football resumed in June 2020 after a pause, compressing the end of the season into a few months. The International Football Association Board (Ifab) introduced a temporary rule allowing five substitutions per match instead of three to help manage player workload.
This measure was extended for two seasons and later made permanent. However, the Premier League initially opted out for two seasons before adopting the rule from the 2022-23 season onward, aligning with other major European leagues.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta commented on the change:
"The most important thing is it can manage the workload of players better. It gives players the opportunity to be on the pitch and gives options to change and refresh the game."
The increase in substitutes has led to more players making appearances but fewer completing full 90-minute matches. Leagues such as La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1 have been more inclined to utilize all five substitutions.
Before Covid-19, an average of 7.1 outfield players per match played the full 90 minutes across the top five European leagues, with the Premier League slightly higher at 7.2. Since the 2022-23 season, this average has dropped to 5.5 players, although the Premier League maintains a higher average of 5.9 players completing full matches. La Liga and Serie A report the lowest averages, with only 5.3 players typically playing the entire game.
Is Chukwuemeka an Outlier?
Chukwuemeka's record of nearly 100 appearances without a full 90 minutes has attracted attention. But is he unique in this regard?
analyzed players with at least 50 appearances in the top five European leagues. Between the 2014-15 and 2018-19 seasons, when only three substitutes were allowed, every player had played at least one full match.
Expanding the analysis to include the era of five substitutes reveals 10 players who have not completed a full 90 minutes despite 50 or more appearances.
Leading this list is Randy Nteka, a forward who joined La Liga club Rayo Vallecano in 2021. The Angola international has played 106 league matches over five years without completing a full match. Unlike Chukwuemeka, Nteka has completed two full games in the Copa del Rey.
Considering players with 50+ appearances since Chukwuemeka's debut, only one other player shares this record: Jeff Ekhator, a 19-year-old Genoa striker who debuted in August 2024. The Italy under-19 international has played 51 games in Serie A and Coppa Italia, with his longest stint on the pitch being 72 minutes in a 1-1 home draw against Como in November 2024.
Another notable player is Alan Virginius, who has made 166 senior appearances but completed 90 minutes only once.
Virginius, 23, has played mainly for Sochaux, Lille, and Young Boys since his debut in the 2020-21 season. He completed 90 minutes in a Swiss Cup semi-final defeat for Young Boys against FC Biel-Bienne in April 2024 but was substituted 11 minutes into extra time, so he did not complete the entire match.
His closest league 90-minute appearance was in March 2024 while on loan at Clermont Foot, when he was substituted during injury time of a 3-0 home loss to Toulouse.
Chukwuemeka, who won the UEFA European Under-19 Championship with England in 2022, recently switched his international allegiance to Austria, his country of birth. There is a possibility he may play his first full 90 minutes on the global stage at the World Cup this summer.
Potential for Six Substitutes in Future
At the European Football Clubs' (EFC) general assembly in October, discussions emerged about potentially increasing the number of substitutes to six and expanding matchday squads from 25 to 28 players. Premier League clubs such as Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Nottingham Forest participated in these talks.
Sources close to the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) expressed skepticism about whether larger squads would effectively reduce player workload or mental fatigue, as traveling with a larger squad does not necessarily alleviate these issues.
Currently, Ifab has not discussed any changes to substitution rules, so no immediate changes are expected. However, clubs continue to explore these possibilities.
Should an additional substitute be introduced, it is likely that player rotation will increase further, potentially reducing the number of players completing full 90-minute matches even more.
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