Castrol has applied objective analysis and highly advanced technology to measure every pass, every tackle and every single move of over 2,000 players and games from Europe’s top five leagues over the last 12 months.
That analysis highlights Lionel Messi’s devastating strengths as a goalscorer and as a creator of scoring opportunities, and explains why he maintained his place at the head of the Castrol Rankings, beating Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo to become the world’s best player this term.
In front of goal the forward has been deadly, scoring 34 league goals over the course of the season. Messi was also the top scorer in the Champions League with eight goals, including a four-goal haul against Arsenal at the Camp Nou in the quarter-finals in April.
The South American’s scoring success owes much to his shooting accuracy. No player in La Liga matched his 66 per cent shooting accuracy rate, while in the Champions League the forward struck a competition-high 28 shots on target.
Messi’s strengths extend beyond simply scoring goals, and he has proven to be equally effective in creating chances for others. His return of 10 assists in La Liga was only bettered by Barca team-mate Xavi who provided 14 assists.
Main man | Messi showed his quality all season
Castrol Ambassador and 1998 World Cup winner Marcel Desailly said:
“One of Messi’s greatest strengths over the past 12 months has been the consistency of his performances. He poses a threat in every game he plays and his skill on the ball means he can conjure a chance out of nothing.
“His ability to run with the ball stands out whenever you watch him play but he also has great intelligence and knows exactly when to release the ball. Many players can dribble but there has to be an end product, and with Messi he frequently creates a shooting chance for himself or for his team-mates.
“It sums up the quality of the player that he finishes the season ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in the Castrol Rankings because Ronaldo has been exceptional in his first year at Real Madrid.”
At number three in the rankings, Didier Drogba is the top ranked Premier League player for the 2009-10 season, after helping Chelsea complete their first ever league and FA Cup double to move up to third place, one ahead of Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney.
Drogba has been in prolific goalscoring form and also pipped Rooney to the Premier League Golden Boot award by scoring 29 league goals, including a hat-trick in the final league game of the season against Wigan Athletic. His record is even more impressive given that he missed the whole of January while on international duty with Ivory Coast at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.
Day of the Drog | Striker had a sterling campaign Drogba’s 29 goals came from 67 shots on target, more than any other Premier League player, while the striker’s 10 assists meant he was involved in 38% of Chelsea’s record-breaking return of 103 Premier League goals.
Arjen Robben’s contribution to Bayern Munich’s success in winning the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal and reaching the Champions League final has moved him up to fifth in the Castrol Rankings, making the Dutch winger the highest-ranked Bundesliga player for the 2009-10 season.
Robben helped his club to their 22nd league title, scoring 16 goals in 26 appearances, with 12 of those goals coming since the turn of the year. The winger, meanwhile, saved his best Champions League form until the knockout stages of the competition, scoring twice against Fiorentina and once against Manchester United and Lyon.
Antonio Di Natale, in 27th, is the highest ranked player in Serie A. The Udinese striker is also ranked as the Italian league’s top scorer with 29 goals this season, and has six assists to his name, meaning he was involved in 65% of his side’s goals (35 out of 54).
Di Natale attempted the most shots in the Italian top flight (152), and also tested the keeper more times than any other player with 71 of these shots on target.
Mevlut Erding is in 42nd place, making him the highest ranked Ligue 1 player. Erding has proven himself to be an instinctive striker this season, scoring 15 goals in a Paris St Germain side that finished in the bottom half of the table.
All of the striker’s goals came from inside the penalty area with Erding hitting seven with his right foot and four with his left foot, as well as converting four headers. In all, Erding hit the target with 55% of his attempts on goal and provided two assists.
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That analysis highlights Lionel Messi’s devastating strengths as a goalscorer and as a creator of scoring opportunities, and explains why he maintained his place at the head of the Castrol Rankings, beating Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo to become the world’s best player this term.
In front of goal the forward has been deadly, scoring 34 league goals over the course of the season. Messi was also the top scorer in the Champions League with eight goals, including a four-goal haul against Arsenal at the Camp Nou in the quarter-finals in April.
The South American’s scoring success owes much to his shooting accuracy. No player in La Liga matched his 66 per cent shooting accuracy rate, while in the Champions League the forward struck a competition-high 28 shots on target.
Messi’s strengths extend beyond simply scoring goals, and he has proven to be equally effective in creating chances for others. His return of 10 assists in La Liga was only bettered by Barca team-mate Xavi who provided 14 assists.
Main man | Messi showed his quality all season
Castrol Ambassador and 1998 World Cup winner Marcel Desailly said:
“One of Messi’s greatest strengths over the past 12 months has been the consistency of his performances. He poses a threat in every game he plays and his skill on the ball means he can conjure a chance out of nothing.
“His ability to run with the ball stands out whenever you watch him play but he also has great intelligence and knows exactly when to release the ball. Many players can dribble but there has to be an end product, and with Messi he frequently creates a shooting chance for himself or for his team-mates.
“It sums up the quality of the player that he finishes the season ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in the Castrol Rankings because Ronaldo has been exceptional in his first year at Real Madrid.”
At number three in the rankings, Didier Drogba is the top ranked Premier League player for the 2009-10 season, after helping Chelsea complete their first ever league and FA Cup double to move up to third place, one ahead of Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney.
Drogba has been in prolific goalscoring form and also pipped Rooney to the Premier League Golden Boot award by scoring 29 league goals, including a hat-trick in the final league game of the season against Wigan Athletic. His record is even more impressive given that he missed the whole of January while on international duty with Ivory Coast at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.
Day of the Drog | Striker had a sterling campaign Drogba’s 29 goals came from 67 shots on target, more than any other Premier League player, while the striker’s 10 assists meant he was involved in 38% of Chelsea’s record-breaking return of 103 Premier League goals.
Arjen Robben’s contribution to Bayern Munich’s success in winning the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal and reaching the Champions League final has moved him up to fifth in the Castrol Rankings, making the Dutch winger the highest-ranked Bundesliga player for the 2009-10 season.
Robben helped his club to their 22nd league title, scoring 16 goals in 26 appearances, with 12 of those goals coming since the turn of the year. The winger, meanwhile, saved his best Champions League form until the knockout stages of the competition, scoring twice against Fiorentina and once against Manchester United and Lyon.
Antonio Di Natale, in 27th, is the highest ranked player in Serie A. The Udinese striker is also ranked as the Italian league’s top scorer with 29 goals this season, and has six assists to his name, meaning he was involved in 65% of his side’s goals (35 out of 54).
Di Natale attempted the most shots in the Italian top flight (152), and also tested the keeper more times than any other player with 71 of these shots on target.
Mevlut Erding is in 42nd place, making him the highest ranked Ligue 1 player. Erding has proven himself to be an instinctive striker this season, scoring 15 goals in a Paris St Germain side that finished in the bottom half of the table.
All of the striker’s goals came from inside the penalty area with Erding hitting seven with his right foot and four with his left foot, as well as converting four headers. In all, Erding hit the target with 55% of his attempts on goal and provided two assists.
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