CIES Football Observatory: players of the month

The CIES Football Observatory has published the rankings of the most productive big-5 league players for the month of September.

Based on data provided by our partner OptaPro, the CIES Football Observatory rankings take into account pitch productivity in five key areas of the game: shooting, chance creation, take on, distribution and recovery (see below for more details). By weighting each indicator according to the strength of its correlation with club results, we obtain a general index highlighting the most decisive footballers.

The rankings of the best performing players in the five major European championships per area of the game can be found in the Big-5 Weekly Post. This can now be downloaded from the CIES Football Observatory website.

Methodological note: specifications of indicators

• Shooting measures the effectiveness of players to shoot and score goals, excluding penalties
• Chance creation refers to the ability of players to put teammates into shooting positions, with particular emphasis on goal assists
• Take on highlights footballers who are both productive and efficient in dribbling, crossing and winning corners
• Distribution refers to the ability of players to make accurate passes, above all in the opposition half

Recovery brings to the fore players whose tackling and interceptions minimise the chances for opponents to score goals and shoot, especially from close range