The Castrol EDGE Rankings rate player performance in the top five European leagues over the last 12 months to give fans the most accurate view of who are the world’s top performing players. Here we look back on the strongest performers in the top five European leagues and also the in-form players as the league season reaches its climax, with just the Champions League Final to cap it all off.
CECH AND TORRES ARE KEY TO HOPES OF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GLORY
The Chelsea goalkeeper (118th) played a key part in his team reaching the Champions League Final with some inspired displays, notably against Barcelona in the semi-final: he’s made 52 saves in Europe’s premier competition this season, which is 20 more than his Bayern Munich counterpart, Manuel Neuer (32). His position graphic shows that his performances improved notably halfway through the season. Over the first-half of the campaign, Cech was saving 61% of shots-on-target faced in the league. This ratio has risen dramatically in 2012, reaching a highly impressive 76% saves-to-shots ratio.
Another Chelsea player who has risen to the fore in 2012 is Fernando Torres (188th). He scored four goals in 91 minutes of football between Chelsea’s heroic performance at the Camp Nou and the demolition of Queens Park Rangers a few days later. Torres’ sudden return to form has enabled him to climb 78 places in the April Castrol EDGE Rankings. Against Barcelona, Torres failed to complete a single pass after coming on as a late substitute but sealed Chelsea’s qualification with his only attempt on goal. His midweek Champions League feat was followed by a stunning hat-trick against QPR: the 28 year-old mustered five shots against the Hoops, including four on target, both season-highs in the league for the European and World champion. Overall in the Champions League this season, Torres is Chelsea’s top goal creator with four assists, whilst also contributing three goals of his own.
RONALDO CLOSING THE GAP
Cristiano Ronaldo (5th) is getting closer to breaking into the top three again, currently sitting just three points behind Robin van Persie (3rd). Indeed, with 10 of his last 16 outings earning him at least 1,000 points in the Castrol EDGE Rankings, he’s certain to challenge Messi (1st) in the months to come. All the players above him are having their best season-to-date which partly explains why he’s found it hard to dislodge them. Another factor is his lower chance conversion ratio from open play (i.e. excluding penalties): the Portuguese star currently posts an 18% ratio in the league this season, whereas his four counterparts are all above 20%. Meanwhile, Benzema has equalled his most prolific campaign with 20 goals in 31 league games. He scores on average every 4.7 shots in La Liga this season. Messi finds the net every 4.4 shots while Ronaldo does so every 5.6 shots. That’s still far off Gonzalo Higuain’s magical goal efficiency: on average, the Argentine striker scores every 2.7 shots.
What are the Castrol EDGE Rankings?
The Castrol EDGE Rankings is a football rankings system that objectively evaluates the strongest performers in the top 5 European leagues over the last 12 months.
At Castrol EDGE, we understand that a winning performance requires strength - be it on the pitch or in your engine. To develop our strongest ever range of oils, Castrol EDGE with Fluid Strength Technology, we use innovative technologies and the latest data analysis techniques. We apply equally advanced techniques to create the Castrol EDGE Rankings. Our Castrol EDGE Performance Analysts use the latest technology to monitor every single touch of the ball in every match by over 2,000 players to provide fans an objective view on the world's strongest performing players.
To find out more about the Castrol EDGE Rankings visit castrolfootball.com.