CASTROL RANKINGS ANALYSIS

Cristiano Ronaldo begins 2010 on a high after the Real Madrid star moved ahead of Barcelona pair Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry to emerge at the head of the December 2009 Castrol Rankings.

It is the first time Ronaldo has topped the rankings since their launch in September 2009 and Castrol Performance Analysis shows the winger is performing at an even higher level for Real Madrid than he was for Manchester United prior to his world record £80m transfer in June.

Castrol has applied the same expertise they apply to the development of their oils to create the Castrol Rankings – using 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 5 leagues over the last 12 months.

During that time Ronaldo scored 10 Champions League goals, more than any other player, and moves ahead of Henry at the head of the rankings after scoring twice on three separate occasions in the competition this season.

The Portugal winger made an immediate impact in his new career at the Bernabeu Stadium, scoring seven goals in his first nine appearances but his influence has not been limited to his own efforts in front of goal.

Whilst at United, Ronaldo helped Sir Alex Ferguson’s side score an average 1.9 goals per game last season compared to 1.2 goals per game when the Portuguese winger was missing from the line-up. However, he has exerted an even greater influence at his new club who have managed 2.9 goals per game with their most expensive signing in the side, and just 2.0 when he has been absent.

This season, Ronaldo has successfully completed 55% of his dribbles, compared to just 39% last term, while his passing accuracy has increased from 74% to 83% adding to the impression his game is getting better all the time.

"It is an honour for me to top the Castrol Rankings ahead of such great players like Leo Messi and Thierry Henry,” said Ronaldo. “Now that I have made it to number one, I will do everything I can to hold onto the position.
“The Castrol Rankings measures performance over 12 months so I know the only way I will hold onto this position is to maintain my form. That is a great incentive to me as great players must consistently perform well at the highest level and that is exactly what I aim to do.

“Moving to Spain last year provided me with a great challenge and I believe this result shows that I have responded well to it.”
Messi, recent winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year award, shares second place with Henry just one point behind the leader.

The Argentine struck 28 goals and made 12 assists in La Liga and the Champions League during 2009. During the 2008/09 season, Messi scored more goals in the second part of the campaign and if he can maintain that trend, the Castrol Rankings looks set to host its own 'Clasico' between these stars of rival Spanish clubs over the coming months.

La Liga continues to dominate the rankings with eight of the top ten players currently based in Spain. Barcelona boast 10 players in the top 50, three more than Chelsea, while Inter Milan are Serie A’s most prominent club with just two players – Lucio and Samuel Eto’o - in the top 50.

The rise of Arsenal defender William Gallas (41 from 55) and Bordeaux keeper Cedric Carrasso (22 from 54) means there are now ten French players in the top 50, a total matched only by Spain.

Valencia striker David Villa is prominent among the Spanish players and ranked 6th overall despite not playing in the Champions League. Villa, who is expected to move this month, has scored a remarkable 28 goals in 31 La Liga appearances in 2009 after attempting a staggering 128 shots (Messi managed 83 in 30 matches).

Jermain Defoe’s current scoring streak means the Tottenham striker is the top ranked English player after leaping from 124 to 21, and is one of four Englishmen in the top 50. However, Steven Gerrard has dropped dramatically from 12 to 72 reflecting his dip in form during Liverpool’s difficult start to the current campaign.

Liverpool’s Fernando Torres (5) is the top ranked Premier League player followed by Arsenal's Andrey Arshavin who drops one place to 11th. One of the most significant Premier League movers is Birmingham keeper Joe Hart who has risen from 78 to 28 after keeping three clean sheets and making 19 saves in December, form that could catch the eye of England coach Fabio Capello.

The star performer in the Bundesliga was Bayern Munich’s Croatian striker Ivica Olic who recorded the most points last month after scoring three goals in three games to move up from 72 to 20.