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Di Santo hails winter break: Players 'are not machines'

The Schalke striker, who played in the Premier League from 2008 to 2013, believes England could benefit from incorporating a mid-season break.

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany — For six years, Franco Di Santo missed out on Christmas festivities in his native Argentina. As his family gathered for the holidays, Di Santo could only call in from half a world away.

Such is the life of a Premier League player. While the rest of Europe's top leagues take winter breaks, ranging from 10 days to over a month, the EPL not only forgoes a hiatus — it packs a trio of matchdays into an eight-day span around the holidays.