Excellence off the pitch - Find out more about Castrol's range of lubricants.
Choose your local site.
CASTROL EDGE RANKINGS ANALYSIS
CASTROL EDGE RANKINGS ANALYSIS RSS Feed
May 26 2010
Messi awarded Castrol EDGE Performance of the Season
His four-goal display in Barcelona’s 4-1 win against Arsenal last month is the Castrol EDGE Performance of the Season.
Lionel Messi’s stunning four-goal display in Barcelona’s 4-1 win against Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second-leg last month is the Castrol EDGE Performance of the Season for 2009-10.
Castrol Performance Analysts have studied every minute of every match in the top five European leagues and the Champions League and Messi’s showing has emerged as the best by any player in a single match played over the last 12 months, scoring 2828 Castrol Rankings points.
All four of the Argentine’s goals came from open play with his best coming shortly before half-time when the forward completed his hat-trick with a sublime chip over Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia after breaking from near the halfway line.
In a stunning attacking display, Messi attempted eight shots on goal, including six on target. In a stunning attacking display, Messi attempted eight shots on goal, including six on target. The Barca star also completed five of his seven dribbles and completed 88% of his passes while creating two goalscoring chances for teammates.
Castrol Ambassador and 1998 FIFA World Cup™ winner Marcel Desailly said: “This was a game when everything clicked for Messi. It’s rare that an individual player can destroy a team at this level but that’s what happened from the moment Messi scored his first goal.
“Arsenal simply didn’t know how to contain him and as his confidence grew, he became even more dangerous. This was an occasion when Messi’s close control and exceptional change of pace meant defenders couldn’t get near him.
“Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger described him as a video game player and he was right; the ball never seemed to move more than a few centimetres away from his feet and that meant defenders were scared to tackle him because they would easily have ended up conceding a foul or a penalty.”
Jermain Defoe recorded the second best performance of the season, scoring five times in Tottenham’s 9-1 defeat of Wigan last November, to become only the third player – after Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole - ever to hit five goals in a Premier League game.
Defoe’s goals came from a total of nine shots, only two of which were off target, in a game that marked Spurs biggest ever Premier League victory. Defoe also set up an additional goal-scoring chance for a team-mate.
Wayne Rooney’s four-goal display in Manchester United’s 4-0 win over Hull City in the Premier League last January was the third best performance by anyone in Europe’s top five leagues. The striker produced an impressive all-round display but it was the ruthlessness of his finishing – scoring from each of his four attempts on target – that stood out.
It was also the first time Rooney had scored four in a game and three of his goals came in the final 10 minutes of the match. The forward had nine attempts on goal, three of which were off target while two were blocked by defenders, and completed 80% of his passes.
Yossi Benayoun produced the fourth best performance with his first Premier League hat-trick for Liverpool last September in the Reds’ 4-0 win over Burnley at Anfield. The Israel international hit the target with six of his seven shots, creating six chances and winning all four of his tackles.
Mevlut Erding completes the five best performances of the season, with his first treble against his former club Sochaux in March. The Paris St Germain striker scored all three of his goals from open play and had seven shots in the game, including five on target. His distribution was highly impressive with 22 of his 27 passes finding a teammate while he also delivered three crosses into the Sochaux box.
The outstanding performance in May 2010 came from Arsenal’s Robin van Persie who scored 2,081 Castrol Rankings points in his side’s 4-0 victory over Fulham. The Dutch striker scored once from eight shots, including four on target. Only Chelsea’s Didier Drogba, Defoe and Wigan’s Hugo Rodallega had more shots (9) in a Premier League game this season.
Van Persie’s all-round contribution was impressive with the forward delivering four crosses, completing three of four dribbles and winning all three of the tackles he made.
Castrol Performance Analysts have studied every minute of every match in the top five European leagues and the Champions League and Messi’s showing has emerged as the best by any player in a single match played over the last 12 months, scoring 2828 Castrol Rankings points.
All four of the Argentine’s goals came from open play with his best coming shortly before half-time when the forward completed his hat-trick with a sublime chip over Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia after breaking from near the halfway line.
In a stunning attacking display, Messi attempted eight shots on goal, including six on target. In a stunning attacking display, Messi attempted eight shots on goal, including six on target. The Barca star also completed five of his seven dribbles and completed 88% of his passes while creating two goalscoring chances for teammates.
Castrol Ambassador and 1998 FIFA World Cup™ winner Marcel Desailly said: “This was a game when everything clicked for Messi. It’s rare that an individual player can destroy a team at this level but that’s what happened from the moment Messi scored his first goal.
“Arsenal simply didn’t know how to contain him and as his confidence grew, he became even more dangerous. This was an occasion when Messi’s close control and exceptional change of pace meant defenders couldn’t get near him.
“Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger described him as a video game player and he was right; the ball never seemed to move more than a few centimetres away from his feet and that meant defenders were scared to tackle him because they would easily have ended up conceding a foul or a penalty.”
Top 5 performances of the 2009/10 season
| Date | Player | Team | Opponent | Competition | Points |
| 6 April 2010 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | Arsenal | UEFA Champions League | 2828 |
| 22 November 2009 | Jermain Defoe | Tottenham Hotspur | Wigan Athletic | Premier League | 2575 |
| 23 January 2010 | Wayne Rooney | Manchester United | Hull City | Premier League | 2532 |
| 12 September 2009 | Yossi Benayoun | Liverpool | Burnley | Premier League | 2517 |
| 13 March 2010 | Mevlut Erding | Paris Saint Germain | Sochaux | Ligue 1 | 2307 |
Jermain Defoe recorded the second best performance of the season, scoring five times in Tottenham’s 9-1 defeat of Wigan last November, to become only the third player – after Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole - ever to hit five goals in a Premier League game.
Defoe’s goals came from a total of nine shots, only two of which were off target, in a game that marked Spurs biggest ever Premier League victory. Defoe also set up an additional goal-scoring chance for a team-mate.
Wayne Rooney’s four-goal display in Manchester United’s 4-0 win over Hull City in the Premier League last January was the third best performance by anyone in Europe’s top five leagues. The striker produced an impressive all-round display but it was the ruthlessness of his finishing – scoring from each of his four attempts on target – that stood out.
It was also the first time Rooney had scored four in a game and three of his goals came in the final 10 minutes of the match. The forward had nine attempts on goal, three of which were off target while two were blocked by defenders, and completed 80% of his passes.
Yossi Benayoun produced the fourth best performance with his first Premier League hat-trick for Liverpool last September in the Reds’ 4-0 win over Burnley at Anfield. The Israel international hit the target with six of his seven shots, creating six chances and winning all four of his tackles.
Mevlut Erding completes the five best performances of the season, with his first treble against his former club Sochaux in March. The Paris St Germain striker scored all three of his goals from open play and had seven shots in the game, including five on target. His distribution was highly impressive with 22 of his 27 passes finding a teammate while he also delivered three crosses into the Sochaux box.
The outstanding performance in May 2010 came from Arsenal’s Robin van Persie who scored 2,081 Castrol Rankings points in his side’s 4-0 victory over Fulham. The Dutch striker scored once from eight shots, including four on target. Only Chelsea’s Didier Drogba, Defoe and Wigan’s Hugo Rodallega had more shots (9) in a Premier League game this season.
Van Persie’s all-round contribution was impressive with the forward delivering four crosses, completing three of four dribbles and winning all three of the tackles he made.
Enter your email address below and as soon as the Castrol Rankings are updated each month we'll send you an email
