Table 1

List of the top 50 most-cited articles in football

Ranking	Authors	Year	Title	Journal	Citations (n)
1	Arendt et al	1995	Knee injury patterns among men and women in collegiate basketball and soccer. NCAA data and review of literature	Am J Sports Med	869
2	Mohr et al	2003	Match performance of high-standard soccer players with special reference to development of fatigue	J Sports Sci	737
3	Stølen et al	2005	Physiology of soccer—an update	Sports Med	701
4	Lohmander et al	2004	High prevalence of knee osteoarthritis, pain, and functional limitations in female soccer players twelve years after anterior cruciate ligament injury	Arthritis Rheum	689
5	Bangsbo et al	1991	Activity profile of competition soccer	Can J Sport Sci	514
6	Helgerud et al	2001	Aerobic endurance training improves soccer performance	Med Sci Sports Exerc	507
7	Mandelbaum et al	2005	Effectiveness of a neuromuscular and proprioceptive training programme in preventing anterior cruciate ligament injuries in female athletes—2 year follow-up	Am J Sports Med	499
8	Krustrup et al	2003	The Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test: physiological response, reliability, and validity	Med Sci Sports Exerc	471
9	Ekin et al	2003	Automatic soccer video analysis and summarization	IEEE Trans Image Process	423
10	Bangsbo et al	2008	The Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test—a useful tool for evaluation of physical performance in intermittent sports	Sports Med	419
	Reilly et al	2000	Anthropometric and physiological predispositions for elite soccer	J Sports Sci	419
12	Caraffa et al	1996	Prevention of anterior cruciate ligament injuries in soccer. A prospective controlled study of proprioceptive training	Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc	400
13	von Porat et al	2004	High prevalence of osteoarthritis 14 years after an anterior cruciate ligament tear in male soccer players: a study of radiographic and patient relevant outcomes	Ann Rheum Dis	396
14	Agel et al	2005	Anterior cruciate ligament injury in national collegiate athletic association basketball and soccer—a 13 year review	Am J Sports Med	390
15	Impellizzeri et al	2004	Use of RPE-based training load in soccer	Med Sci Sports Exerc	383
16	Wisløff et al	2004	Strong correlation of maximal squat strength with sprint performance and vertical jump height in elite soccer players	Br J Sports Med	381
17	di Salvo et al	2007	Performance characteristics according to playing position in elite soccer	Int J Sports Med	377
18	Fuller et al	2006	Consensus statement on injury definitions and data collection procedures in studies of football (soccer) injuries	Br J Sports Med	373
19	Reilly et al	2000	A multidisciplinary approach to talent identification in soccer	J Sports Sci	359
20	Bangsbo et al	2006	Physical and metabolic demands of training and match-play in the elite football player	J Sports Sci	352
	Hawkins et al	2001	The association football medical research programme: an audit of injuries in professional football	Br J Sports Med	352
22	Woods et al	2004	The football association medical research programme: an audit of injuries in professional football—analysis of hamstring injuries	Br J Sports Med	351
	Ekblom	1986	Applied physiology of soccer	Sports Med	351
24	Beilock et al	2002	When paying attention becomes counterproductive: impact of divided vs skill-focused attention on novice and experienced performance of sensorimotor skills	J Exp Psychol Appl	349
25	Hawkins et al	1999	A prospective epidemiological study of injuries in four English professional football clubs	Br J Sports Med	325
26	Arendt et al	1999	Anterior cruciate ligament injury patterns among collegiate men and women	J Athl Train	320
27	Ekstrand et al	1983	Soccer injuries and their mechanisms: a prospective study	Med Sci Sports Exerc	312
28	Krustrup et al	2006	Muscle and blood metabolites during a soccer game: implications for sprint performance	Med Sci Sports Exerc	310
29	Bangsbo	1994	The physiology of soccer—with special reference to intense intermittent exercise.	Acta Physiol Scand	305
30	Impellizzeri et al	2006	Physiological and performance effects of generic versus specific aerobic training in soccer players	Int J Sports Med	300
	Askling et al	2003	Hamstring injury occurrence in elite soccer players after preseason strength training with eccentric overload	Scand J Med Sci Sports	300
32	Ekstrand et al	2011	Injury incidence and injury patterns in professional football: the UEFA injury study	Br J Sports Med	296
33	Rampinini et al	2007	Variation in top level soccer match performance	Int J Sports Med	294
34	Williams et al	2000	Talent identification and development in soccer	J Sports Sci	291
35	Savelsbergh et al	2002	Visual search, anticipation and expertise in soccer goalkeepers	J Sports Sci	278
36	Croisier et al	2008	Strength imbalances and prevention of hamstring injury in professional soccer players—a prospective study	Am J Sports Med	273
37	Lian et al	2005	Prevalence of jumper’s knee among elite athletes from different sports—a cross-sectional study	Am J Sports Med	272
38	Alentorn-Geli et al	2009	Prevention of non-contact anterior cruciate ligament injuries in soccer players. Part 1: mechanisms of injury and underlying risk factors	Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc	269
39	Prodromos et al	2007	A meta-analysis of the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament tears as a function of gender, sport, and a knee injury-reduction regimen	Arthroscopy	268
40	Ekstrand et al	2011	Epidemiology of muscle injuries in professional football (soccer)	Am J Sports Med	267
41	Rampinini et al	2007	Factors influencing physiological responses to small-sided soccer games	J Sports Sci	266
42	Dehaven et al	1986	Athletic injuries: comparison by age, sport, and gender	Am J Sports Med	265
43	Kujala et al	1995	Knee osteoarthritis in former runners, soccer players, weight lifters, and shooters	Arthritis Rheum	262
44	Krustrup et al	2005	Physical demands during an elite female soccer game: importance of training status	Med Sci Sports Exerc	261
45	di Salvo et al	2009	Analysis of high intensity activity in premier league soccer	Int J Sports Med	259
46	Heidt et al	2000	Avoidance of soccer injuries with preseason conditioning	Am J Sports Med	253
47	Bradley et al	2009	High-intensity running in English FA Premier League soccer matches	J Sports Sci	252
	Rampinini et al	2009	Technical performance during soccer matches of the Italian Serie A league: effect of fatigue and competitive level	J Sci Med Sport	252
	Wisløff et al	1998	Strength and endurance of elite soccer players	Med Sci Sports Exerc	252
50	Rampinini et al	2007	Validity of simple field tests as indicators of match-related physical performance in top-level professional soccer players	Int J Sports Med	251