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CASTROL EDGE RANKINGS ANALYSIS
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April 12 2010
Tevez is the best of the big summer signings
Carlos Tevez’s controversial move to Manchester City has proved to be the most successful of last summer’s big money European transfer deals according to the March 2010 Castrol Rankings.
Carlos Tevez, who joined City after being allowed to leave rivals Manchester United, has shot up 120 places in the Castrol Rankings since September 2009 and now lies 27th, the largest jump of any of the players involved in the top ten most expensive switches during the close season.
City’s have enjoyed mixed fortunes in the transfer market however, with Joleon Lescott the biggest disappointment, falling 637 places to 805th following his €27.9m move to the club from Everton.
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 2000 players and games from Europe's top 5 leagues over the last 12 months to give fans around the world a deeper insight into winning performances of some of the world’s best footballers.
That analysis shows that Barcelona’s Lionel Messi heads the Castrol Rankings followed by Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney of Manchester United. However, Rooney’s former team-mate Tevez is quickly closing the gap on the leading group.
Castrol Ambassador and 1998 FIFA World Cup™ winner Marcel Desailly said: “It’s not easy for any player involved in an expensive transfer because there is immediate pressure on them to perform.
“Tevez has shown he can handle that pressure and while a lot of players would be disappointed to leave Manchester United, he is playing with even greater motivation and has responded to the increased responsibility he is now carrying.
“His enthusiasm is apparent in every game he plays and while he has always been willing to try the unexpected, he is brimming with confidence and for a goalscorer that is a very valuable commodity.
“Tevez isn’t blessed with the greatest pace but he is tenacious and is constantly harrying and troubling defenders. As a former centre back, I know how hard it is to mark a player who is willing to chase down every ball and ultimately, that forces defenders into mistakes.”
The biggest transfer of the summer involved Ronaldo, who has responded to his world record €94m move by performing even more effectively than he did for Manchester United. This season he has scored a goal every 98 minutes compared to once every 153 minutes last term while he has also fired in more shots than any other La Liga player at an average of seven per game.
The winger, who has moved up from third to second in the Castrol Rankings since September 2009, was also the top scorer in the Champions League with seven goals in five games up until to the end of March.
Xabi Alonso (up 50 places to 69th) and Kaka (up 45 places to 40th) have both moved steadily up the Castrol Rankings since teaming up with Ronaldo at Real Madrid while Zlatan Ibrahimovic has responded well following his €69.5m switch from Internazionale to Barcelona and is now ranked 9th after starting the season at 49th.
Alonso has made an average of 3.2 interceptions a match in La Liga compared just 1.3 in the Premier League last season while Kaka has created more chances from open play than any other player in the Spanish league, delivering the final ball before a shooting opportunity on 57 occasions.
And Desailly added: “On the whole the performance of the big money transfer players has been impressive, and confirms why they were a target in the first place. Good players respond well to being surrounded by even better players, especially someone like Xabi Alonso whose style of play is perfectly suited to providing a platform that allows his more attack minded teammates to fully express their talents.”
Real Madrid fought off the attentions of Manchester United and a number of other top clubs to sign Karim Benzema but the France striker’s form has dipped since his move. His strike rate in the Champions League with Lyon was one goal from five shots, yet this season he has managed just one goal for every ten shots.
By contrast, Lisandro Lopez has been a great success since being drafted in from FC Porto as Benzema’s replacement in a deal worth around €24m, rising 1273 places from 1501st to 228th. Lopez was the biggest signing in the French league last summer and has struck 12 goals and provided four assists in 25 games. His chance conversion rate of 26% is also way above the league average of 16%.
Felipe Melo, meanwhile, has dropped 218 places to 431st. Last season he delivered 11 successful through balls for Fiorentina compared to just two this season and his dribble success rate has also dropped from 68% to 57%.
Outside of the top ten biggest deals, Alberto Aquilani has failed to impress during his first season at Liverpool following his €23m move from Roma to Liverpool. The Italian midfielder has dropped 116 places from 1587th to 1703rd after an injury-ravaged season.
City’s have enjoyed mixed fortunes in the transfer market however, with Joleon Lescott the biggest disappointment, falling 637 places to 805th following his €27.9m move to the club from Everton.
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 2000 players and games from Europe's top 5 leagues over the last 12 months to give fans around the world a deeper insight into winning performances of some of the world’s best footballers.
That analysis shows that Barcelona’s Lionel Messi heads the Castrol Rankings followed by Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney of Manchester United. However, Rooney’s former team-mate Tevez is quickly closing the gap on the leading group.
Tevez cost City around €29m making him the seventh most expensive signing of summer 2009 but he has already started to repay the fee by scoring 19 goals in 28 league games this season, including two hat-tricks since the turn of the year.
Castrol Ambassador and 1998 FIFA World Cup™ winner Marcel Desailly said: “It’s not easy for any player involved in an expensive transfer because there is immediate pressure on them to perform.
“Tevez has shown he can handle that pressure and while a lot of players would be disappointed to leave Manchester United, he is playing with even greater motivation and has responded to the increased responsibility he is now carrying.
“His enthusiasm is apparent in every game he plays and while he has always been willing to try the unexpected, he is brimming with confidence and for a goalscorer that is a very valuable commodity.
“Tevez isn’t blessed with the greatest pace but he is tenacious and is constantly harrying and troubling defenders. As a former centre back, I know how hard it is to mark a player who is willing to chase down every ball and ultimately, that forces defenders into mistakes.”
10 biggest transfer fees - summer 2009
| Player | Team | From | Transfer fee (Euro) | CR position in Sept 09 | CR position in March 10 | Position +/- |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | Manchester Utd | 94M | 3 | 2 | +1 |
| Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Barcelona | Internazionale | 69,5M | 49 | 9 | +40 |
| Kaká | Real Madrid | AC Milan | 65M | 85 | 40 | +45 |
| Xabi Alonso | Real Madrid | Liverpool | 35,4M | 119 | 69 | +50 |
| Karim Benzema | Real Madrid | Olympique Lyon | 35M | 59 | 108 | -49 |
| Mario Gomez | Bayern Munich | Stuttgart | 30M | 21 | 29 | -8 |
| Carlos Tévez | Manchester City | Corinthians | 29M | 147 | 27 | +120 |
| Emmanuel Adebayor | Manchester City | Arsenal | 29M | 17 | 43 | -26 |
| Joleon Lescott | Manchester City | Everton | 27,5M | 168 | 805 | -637 |
| Felipe Melo | Juventus | Fiorentina | 25M | 213 | 431 | -218 |
The biggest transfer of the summer involved Ronaldo, who has responded to his world record €94m move by performing even more effectively than he did for Manchester United. This season he has scored a goal every 98 minutes compared to once every 153 minutes last term while he has also fired in more shots than any other La Liga player at an average of seven per game.
The winger, who has moved up from third to second in the Castrol Rankings since September 2009, was also the top scorer in the Champions League with seven goals in five games up until to the end of March.
Xabi Alonso (up 50 places to 69th) and Kaka (up 45 places to 40th) have both moved steadily up the Castrol Rankings since teaming up with Ronaldo at Real Madrid while Zlatan Ibrahimovic has responded well following his €69.5m switch from Internazionale to Barcelona and is now ranked 9th after starting the season at 49th.
Alonso has made an average of 3.2 interceptions a match in La Liga compared just 1.3 in the Premier League last season while Kaka has created more chances from open play than any other player in the Spanish league, delivering the final ball before a shooting opportunity on 57 occasions.
And Desailly added: “On the whole the performance of the big money transfer players has been impressive, and confirms why they were a target in the first place. Good players respond well to being surrounded by even better players, especially someone like Xabi Alonso whose style of play is perfectly suited to providing a platform that allows his more attack minded teammates to fully express their talents.”
Lescott’s story, however, is very different, with the defender’s decline reflected in the fact he has won only 52% of his aerial duels compared to 69% with Everton last season. Karim Benzema and Juventus’s Felipe Melo are other notable under-performers.
Real Madrid fought off the attentions of Manchester United and a number of other top clubs to sign Karim Benzema but the France striker’s form has dipped since his move. His strike rate in the Champions League with Lyon was one goal from five shots, yet this season he has managed just one goal for every ten shots.
By contrast, Lisandro Lopez has been a great success since being drafted in from FC Porto as Benzema’s replacement in a deal worth around €24m, rising 1273 places from 1501st to 228th. Lopez was the biggest signing in the French league last summer and has struck 12 goals and provided four assists in 25 games. His chance conversion rate of 26% is also way above the league average of 16%.
Felipe Melo, meanwhile, has dropped 218 places to 431st. Last season he delivered 11 successful through balls for Fiorentina compared to just two this season and his dribble success rate has also dropped from 68% to 57%.
Outside of the top ten biggest deals, Alberto Aquilani has failed to impress during his first season at Liverpool following his €23m move from Roma to Liverpool. The Italian midfielder has dropped 116 places from 1587th to 1703rd after an injury-ravaged season.
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