October 16 – Real Madrid and France striker Kylian Mbappé has been named the most effective finisher in Europe’s top five leagues, according to new performance data published by the CIES Football Observatory in collaboration with analytics firm Impect.
Spanning exclusively domestic league performances over the past six months, the rankings highlight the top outfield players in each of eight categories, with each footballer appearing only in the area where they score highest.
Mbappé heads the list for finishing, having scored 14 goals in 10 matches this season for Real Madrid to add to a 43-goal haul last term — edging out Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane.
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland predictably tops the air attack category after scoring 12 goals in nine games, while Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk leads in air defence, reaffirming his dominance in aerial duels.
Chelsea’s Moisés Caicedo ranks first in ground defence, recognised for his ability to break up play in midfield. Rúben Dias of Manchester City leads the defensive build-up index, a metric central to Pep Guardiola’s possession model.
In creative areas, Barcelona’s Pedri González tops the orchestration category, with Lamine Yamal named the most effective player for chance creation. Michael Olise, thriving in his second season at Bayern, is rated the best in take-ons, ahead of Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior.
CIES also identified the youngest top performers across each discipline, led by emerging talents such as household names Pau Cubarsí (defensive build-up), Warren Zaïre-Emery (orchestration), Estêvão Willian (take on), Yamal (chance creation) and Franco Mastantuono (finishing), alongside top talent yet to hit the mainstream such as Thierno Barry (air attack), Eivind Helland (air defence) and Agustín Medina (ground defence) — a group which share a collective worth estimated at more than €500 million.
The new CIES-Impect index reflects football’s growing reliance on granular performance data to measure influence beyond traditional statistics.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1760615043labto1760615043ofdlr1760615043owedi1760615043sni@g1760615043niwe.1760615043yrrah1760615043
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