Carney Chukwuemeka's name was trending all over social media this week.

Had the Borussia Dortmund midfielder scored a worldie? Maybe he had produced an outrageous piece of skill?

It was a little bit stranger than that.

The former Aston Villa and Chelsea midfielder has now made 97 senior appearances across all competitions - but has never played a full 90 minutes.

The 22-year-old made his debut for Villa on the final day of the 2020-21 Premier League season against Tottenham.

He has started 18 games but always been subbed off. The closest he has got to a full game is the 82nd minute, twice.

That was in a 4-1 loss for Chelsea at Manchester United in May 2023, and a 1-1 draw for Dortmund at Hamburg in November 2025.

His other 79 matches have all been from the bench.

The breakdown of his games is 16 for Villa, 32 for Chelsea and 49 with Dortmund since his move in 2024.

This should be no slight on the player's ability, with Dortmund boss Niko Kovac describing him as "sensationally good".

"The way he takes the ball and carries it, the way he immediately turns in the direction of play, that is really unique," Kovac said after a 6-0 win over Union Berlin last year.

"He has very good acceleration and technique. The boy will give us joy."

What does this tell us about the modern game with five substitutes?

Do any other players come close, or is Chukwuemeka an exception?

How five substitutes altered the landscape

The change in approach can be directly attributed to one clear event: Covid-19.

Football awoke from its slumber in June 2020, squeezing the end of a season into a couple of months.

The International Football Association Board (Ifab) stepped in and offered a temporary measure to allow coaches to make five substitutions rather than three.

It was extended for two seasons before being added as a permanent ruling.

Controversially, the Premier League opted out for two seasons before relenting and following the rest of Europe's top leagues from 2022-23.

"The most important thing is it can manage the workload of players better," Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said.

"It gives players the opportunity to be on the pitch and gives options to change and refresh the game."

More substitutes means more appearances. It also means fewer players stay on the pitch for 90 minutes.

Teams in La Liga, Serie A, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 have been more likely to use them.

In the five years before Covid, an average of 7.1 outfield players played 90 minutes across the top five European leagues. In the Premier League it was 7.2.

Since 2022-23, the average has dropped to 5.5 outfield players.

But the Premier League has propped that average up, markedly higher at 5.9 players who play 90 minutes.

La Liga and Serie A are at the opposite ends of the scale, making the most changes with 5.3 players staying on for the whole match. (BBC)

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