Gregoriak, I think you made a mistake in the way you counted the number of blocks made by the defenders in 1970. I see for example that Matosas had 6 blocks, not 27. I think you confused blocks with interceptions. Kuddos for your great work anyway.
It is very good work (tried something by myself a few days back as indicated on page 1 but had problems with excel) but it would've been even better if all categories are included or only a well-thought selection of some (i.e. it is nevertheless defensible to include three passing categories but no foul categories). And as schwuppe pointed out in this thread, it is also possible to relate them to the minutes the players played (with a certain threshold applied in terms of minutes or absolute blocks/tackles/goals whatever). At this moment the players with more minutes/games have an big advantage. Nevertheless interesting and the small gap between Seeler and Pelé is surprising.
No specific criteria, except that a minimum of 2 games had to be played. Countries I didn't look at were Morocco, Israel, Mexico, El Salvador. You - or anyone - is welcome to check the stats of further players. Actually it's 72 players. Spoiler (Move your mouse to the spoiler area to reveal the content) Show Spoiler Hide Spoiler Wolfgang Overath Klaus Fichtel Höttges Schnellinger Schulz Grabowski Libuda Löhr Everaldo Piazza Paulo Cesar Gerson Rivelino Cooper Labone Bell R.Charlton Lee Hurst Cera Facchetti Bertini De Sisti Rivera Domenghini Chumpitaz De la Torre Fuentes Challe Mifflin Sotil Gallardo Leon Dzodzuashvili Khurtsilava Kaplichny Asatiani Muntian Byshovets Yevruzhikin Dewalque Heylens Thissen Dockx Semmeling van Moer Puis van Himst Dobias F.Vesely Adamec Jokl Petras Satmareanu Dinu Dembrovski Dumitru Lucescu Nunweiler Dumitrache Penev Shalamanov Bonev Asparukhov Axelsson Grip Nordquist Selander Eriksson Kindvall Larsson Olsson
I met problems with excel in ordering/sorting the calculated results a few days back. The calculations are fine but sorting does not work. What is the best way to count the points by the way? A further player I think had good stats in some categories was Svensson of Sweden.
I think Bobby Moore's stats fit the impression given by the reports/highlights etc - top defender for chances created and 2nd for interceptions in 1966 and 100% tackle success in 1970 (for the former tournament he is remembered for his assists and passes, while in the latter his tackle on Jairzinho is the number 1 highlight - I do remember an impressive higher speed tackle in the 1966 Final though IIRC). Meanwhile Paolo Rossi's stats might seem surprising, as he has a better shots on target rate in 1978 than 1982 but more chances created per minute in 1982 (one in just over 40 minutes as opposed to just under 50). I say they might seem surprising as the highlights/reports would indicate that he was more mobile and involved in creating chances in 1978 but more prolific in 1982 - however looking further at the stats that does still come accross as though he had a 90% shots on target rate in 1978, in 1982 of all his shots on target only one was saved, and in 1978 his cross success rate is better as well as the number of successful crosses and duels won (per minute and overall number). Chances created only refers to the final pass or 'key passes' if I understand correctly anyway, but in 1978 he did get a couple of nice assists.
pele about 4 foul per game 1970..23 total....this is very intresting....however i dont understand why he never got a yellow card...bertini ( a dirty player)committed 19 fouls and he didnt get a yellow card too, this is very strange to me if we put in perspective some of his actions... (example) foul against grabowski in semifinal.....jairzinho committed 12 fouls no yellow card... gerd müller has committed a extremly low 4 fouls 1970 and he got 2 yellow cards ...thats very weired...
Do not forget that WC70 marked out the very first time FIFA AGREED to use Yellow card to penalize some dirty acts with INTENTION (like sliding in tackle, kicking to player feet from behind, elbowing ....) this yellow card rules only became more serious in WC90 and beyond. If you can help to find clips showing how Muller got those YC will be helpful
Can you maybe post the top 5/10 fouls committed and suffered information for those 100+ names at 66 and 77 WC (maybe more WCs)? Doesn't have to be included in the index but would be good info despite the 'iffy' nature of the stat.
1974 Number of Passes Defenders 555 Beckenbauer (Ger) 426 Haan (Ned) 349 Breitner (Ger) 315 Krol (Ned) 314 Heredia (Arg) Midfielders 432 Overath (Ger) 417 Deyna (Pol) 413 Rivelino (Bra) 381 Carpegiani (Bra) 378 Babington (Arg) Forwards 332 Cruyff (Ned) 268 Hoeness (Ger) 241 Edström (Swe) 223 Jairzinho (Bra) 212 Grabowski (Ger) Number of successful passes Defenders 486 Beckenbauer (Ger) 365 Haan (Ned) 319 Breitner (Ger) 275 Krol (Ned) 264 Heredia (Arg) Midfielders 371 Overath (Ger) 344 Deyna (Pol) 339 Rivelino (Bra) 329 Carpegiani (Bra) 313 Babington (Arg) Forwards 270 Cruyff (Ned) 228 Hoeness (Ger) 178 Grabowski (Ger) 174 Jairzinho (Bra) 151 Edström (Swe) Number of successful passes per minute (minimum 100 passes) Defenders 0.77 Beckenbauer (Ger) 0.58 Haan (Ned) 0.56 Bogicevic (Yug) 0.53 Muzinic (Yug) 0.51 Breitner (Ger) Midfielders 0.70 Babington (Arg) 0.69 Carpegiani (Bra) 0.62 Overath (Ger) 0.58 Bremner (Sco) 0.57 Valdes (Chi) Forwards 0.61 Jerkovic (Yug) 0.433 Karasi (Yug) 0.428 Cruyff (Ned) 0.41 Hoeness (Ger) 0.38 Grabowski (Ger) Passing accuracy (minimum 100 passes) Defenders 92.6 Glaria (Arg) (75/6) 91.4 Breitner (Ger) (319/30) 91.2 Bargas (Arg) (103/10) 90.7 Piazza (Bra) (156/16) 90.2 Nelinho (Bra) (111/12) Midfielders 88.1 Acimovic (Yug) (267/36) 87.3 Bonhof (Ger) (117/17) 86.4 Carpegiani (Bra) (329/52) 86.3 Oblak (Yug) (196/31) 86.2 Benetti (Ita) (119/19) Forwards 90.5 Jerkovic (Yug) (105/11) 87.9 Valdomiro (Bra) (123/17) 87.3 Dzajic (Yug) (131/19) 85.1 Hoeness (Ger) (228/40) 84.0 Grabowski (Ger) (178/34) Passing accuracy opp. half (minimum 100 passes) Defenders 90.9 Bargas (Arg) 90.3 Penev (Bul) 86.5 Piazza (Bra) 84.1 Cullmann (Ger) 83.9 Facchetti (Ita) Midfielders 82.4 Acimovic (Yug) 81.2 Benetti (Ita) 79.5 Overath (Ger) 79.4 Carpegiani (Bra) 78.8 Rivelino (Bra) Forwards 82.4 Jerkovic (Yug) 76.9 Müller (Ger) 75.4 Jairzinho (Bra) 74.0 Rensenbrink (Ned) 72.8 Karasi (Yug) Duels won (%) (minimum 30 duels) Defenders 75.8 Figueroa (Chi) (25/8) 64.4 Beckenbauer (Ger) (29/16) 63.6 Szymanowski (Pol) (42/24) 62.9 Jauregui (Uru) (22/13) 62.8 F.Marinho (Bra) (54/32) Midfielders 66.7 Bremner (Sco) (32/16) 63.3 Wätzlich (E.Ger) (28/16) 62.8 Bonhof (Ger) (49/29) 62.5 Rocha (Uru) (25/15) 60.6 Jansen (Ned) (60/39) Forwards 62.3 Hölzenbein (Ger) (43/26) 59.6 Valdomiro (Bra) (34/23) 57.0 Hoeness (Ger) (54/40) 56.2 Cruyff (Ned) (77/60) 52.5 Anastasi (Ita) (21/19) Aerial duels won (%) Defenders (minimum 5 duels) 87.5 Quintano (Chi) (7/1) 83.3 Hadziabdic (Yug) (5/1) 80.0 Krol (Ned) (4/1) 78.6 Zmuda (Pol) (11/3) 75.0 Figueroa (Chi) (12/4) Midfielders (minimum 3 duels) 80.0 Wätzlich (E.Ger) (4/1) 61.5 van Hanegem (8/5) 60.0 Jansen (Hol) (6/4) 60.0 Bonev (Bul) (3/2) 57.1 Schnuphase (E.Ger) (4/3) Forwards (minimum 5 duels) 85.7 Morena (Uru) (6/1) 85.7 Denev (Bul) (6/1) 75.0 Surjak (Yug) (9/3) 68.2 Jordan (Sco) (15/7) 66.7 Grahn (Swe) (6/3) 66.7 Hoeness (Ger) (4/2) Recoveries Defenders 68 Beckenbauer (Ger) 62 Heredia (Arg) 44 Breitner (Ger) 43 Haan (Ned) 40 Szymanowski (Pol) Midfielders 62 Deyna (Pol) 50 Maszczyk (Pol) 47 Kasperczak (Pol) 43 Telch (Arg) 41 Overath (Ger) Forwards 47 Cruyff (Ned) 28 Grabowski (Ger) 26 Edström (Swe) 25 Rep (Ned) 24 Torstensson (Swe) Tackles won (%) Defenders (minimum 10 tackles) 100.0 Suurbier (Ned) (13/0) 91.7 Ze Maria (Bra) (11/1) 91.7 Bogicevic (Yug) (11/1) 90.9 Krol (Ned) (20/2) 90.0 Nelinho (Bra) (9/1) Midfielders (minimum 10 tackles) 92.3 Ayala (Arg) (12/1) 85.7 Kasperczak (Pol) (18/3) 84.6 Irmscher (E.Ger) (11/2) 84.2 Carpegiani (Bra) (16/3) 83.3 Overath (Ger) (20/4) Forwards (minimum 5 tackles) 100.0 Leivinha (Bra) (6/0) 100.0 Jordan (Sco) (5/0) 91.7 Grabowski (Ger) (11/1) 85.7 Valdomiro (Bra (6/1) 85.7 Dalglish (Sco) (6/1) Clearances Defenders 59 Gorgon (Pol) 46 Karlsson (Swe) 41 Zmuda (Pol) 40 Weise (E.Ger) 35 Figueroa (Chi) 35 P.Marinho (Bra) Midfielders 19 Olsson (Swe) 16 Wätzlich (E.Ger) 15 Deyna (Pol) 12 Bonhof (Ger) 9 Kasperczak (Pol) 9 Jansen (Ned) Forwards 20 Grahn (Swe) 18 Edström (Swe) 6 Lato (Pol) 6 Hölzenbein (Ger) 5 Hoeness (Ger) 5 Torstensson (Swe) Blocks Defenders 11 Quintano (Chi) 9 Nordquist (Swe) 8 Bransch (E.Ger) 8 Karlsson (Swe) 7 Figueroa (Chi) 7 Gorgon (Pol) Midfielders 5 Sparwasser (E.Ger) 4 Maszczyk (Pol) 4 Olsson (Swe) 3 Larsson (Swe) 3 Jansen (Ned) 3 Rivelino (Bra) 3 van Hanegem (Ned) 3 Capello (Ita) 3 Carpegiani (Bra) Forwards 3 Grahn (Swe) 3 Torstensson (Swe) 2 Sandberg (Swe) 2 Rep (Ned) 2 Jairzinho (Bra) Interceptions Defenders 26 Buljan (Yug) 24 Suurbier (Ned) 24 Schwarzenbeck (Ger) 24 Zmuda (Pol) 23 Hadziabdic (Yug) Midfielders 25 Deyna (Pol) 25 Maszczyk (Pol) 23 van Hanegem (Ned) 19 Jansen (Ned) 18 Telch (Arg) 18 Carpegiani (Bra) 18 Acimovic (Yug) Forwards 15 Torstensson (Swe) 13 Cruyff (Ned) 13 Hoeness (Ger) 13 Gadocha (Pol) 12 Grahn (Swe) 12 Hoffmann (E.Ger) Goals Defenders 3 Breitner (Ger) 1 Krol (Ned) 1 Heredia (Arg) 1 Cullmann (Ge) 1 Gorgon (Pol) 1 Pavoni (Arg) 1 Bogicevic (Yug) 1 Katalinski (Yug) Midfielders 5 Neeskens (Ned) 3 Deyna (Pol) 3 Rivelino (Bra) 2 Overath (Ger) Forwards 7 Lato (Pol) 5 Szarmach (Pol) 4 Müller (Ger) 4 Rep (Ned) 4 Edström (Swe) Shot accuracy (minimum 5 shots) Defenders 66.7 Beckenbauer (Ger) (8/4) 62.5 Heredia (Arg) (5/3) 46.7 Breitner (Ger) (7/8) 45.5 F.Marinho (Bra) (5/6) 40.0 Vogts (Ger) (2/3) 40.0 Suurbier (Ned) (4/6) Midfielders 62.5 Mazzola (Ita) (5/3) 60.0 Oblak (Yug) (3/2) 60.0 Petkovic (Yug) (3/2) 57.1 Overath (Ger) (4/3) 57.1 Ayala (Arg) (4/3) Forwards 100.0 Bajevic (Yug) (7/0) 83.3 Houseman (Arg) (5/1) 76.5 Cruyff (Ned) (13/4) 70.0 Lorimer (Sco) (7/3) 68.0 Lato (Pol) (17/8) Successful crosses (minimum 5 crosses) Defenders 42.9 Nelinho (Bra) (3/4) 42.9 Vasilev (Bul) (3/4) 38.9 Szymanowski (Pol) (7/11) 37.5 Arias (Chi) (3/5) 37.5 Musial (Pol) (3/5) 37.5 Jardine (Sco) (3/5) Midfielders 54.5 Babington (Arg) (6/5) 50.0 Sparwasser (E.Ger) (3/3) 45.0 Neeskens (Ned) (9/11) 42.9 Causio (Ita) (3/4) 42.9 Cubilla (Uru) (3/4) Forwards 58.3 Grahn (Swe) (7/5) 42.9 Torstensson (Swe) (3/4) 42.9 Dalglish (Sco) (3/4) 40.0 Karasi (Yug) (2/3) 36.4 Vogel (E.Ger) (4/7) Assists Defenders 1 Beckenbauer (Ger) 1 Luis Pereira (Bra) 1 Krol (Ned) 1 Suurbier (Ned) 1 Wolff (Arg) 1 Nelinho (Bra) 1 Ze Maria (Bra) 1 Weise (E.Ger) 1 Szymanowski (Pol) 1 Buljan (Yug) 1 Katalinski (Yug) Midfielders 2 Bonhof (Ger) 2 Kasperczak (Pol) 2 Kindvall (Swe) 2 Acimovic (Yug) Forwards 5 Gadocha (Pol) 3 Cruyff (Ned) 3 Dzajic (Yug) 2 Müller (Ger) 2 Lato (Pol) 2 Kempes (Arg) Chances created Defenders 15 Breitner (Ger) 9 Beckenbauer (Ger) 9 Musial (Pol) 6 F.Marinho (Bra) 6 Nelinho (Bra) 6 Szymanowski (Pol) 6 Buljan (Yug) Midfielders 30 Deyna (Pol) 18 Overath (Ger) 17 Kasperczak (Pol) 15 van Hanegem (Ned) 12 Sparwasser (E.Ger) Forwards 36 Cruyff (Ned) 19 Gadocha (Pol) 19 Jairzinho (Bra) 18 Müller (Ger) 16 Edström (Swe) Chances created per xy minutes Defenders 29.8 Nikodimov (Bul) 42.0 Breitner (Ger) 45.0 Nelinho (Bra) 58.0 Musial (Pol) 70.0 Beckenbauer (Ger) Midfielders 15.7 Rivera (Ita) 20.7 Deyna (Pol) 28.2 Causio (Ita) 28.5 Flohe (Ger) 29.6 Kindvall (Swe) Forwards 17.5 Cruyff (Ned) 26.9 Streich (E.Ger) 27.0 Lorimer (Sco) 27.0 Jordan (Sco) 28.6 Vogel (E.Ger) Fouls won Defenders 12 Vogts (Ger) 12 Kische (E.Ger) 12 P.Marinho (Bra) 12 Buljan (Yug) 11 Krol (Ned) 11 F.Marinho (Bra) Midfielders 40 Tapper (Swe) 28 Rivelino (Bra) 26 Ayala (Arg) 23 Paulo Cesar (Bra) 21 Bremner (Sco) Forwards 30 Cruyff (Ned) 30 Jairzinho (Bra) 17 Edström (Swe) 16 Hoeness (Ger) 16 Valdomiro (Bra) Fouls conceded Defenders 29 Rijsbergen (Ned) 21 Hadziabdic (Yug) 20 Suurbier (Ned) 20 Zmuda (Pol) 18 Krol (Ned) 18 Musial (Pol) Midfielders 22 van Hanegem (Ned) 21 Maszczyk (Pol) 18 Acimovic (Yug) 15 Oblak (Yug) 15 Sparwasser (E.Ger) Forwards 24 Rep (Ned) 21 Jairzinho (Bra) 21 Jordan (Sco) 16 Szarmach (Pol) 13 Cruyff (Ned) 13 Grahn (Swe) Conclusion based on the following points system: 1st place 5 points 2nd place 4 pts 3rd place 3 pts 4th place 2 pts 5th place 1 pt (Categories “Fouls won” and “Fouls conceded” & "most successful passes" were not awarded) Top Defenders 34 Beckenbauer (Ger) 28 Breitner (Ger) 17 Nelinho (Bra) 16 Krol (Ned) 15 Suurbier (Ned) 14 Szymanowski (Pol) 13 Heredia (Arg) 12 Buljan (Yug) 11 Bogicevic (Yug) 10 Gorgon (Pol) 10 Quintano (Chi) 10 Haan (Ned) 9 Katalinski (Yug) 9 Ze Maria (Bra) 8 Bargas (Arg) 8 Musial (Pol) 8 Figueroa (Chi) 7 Karlsson (Swe) 7 Weise (E.Ger) 7 Zmuda (Pol) 6 Cullmann (Ger) 5 Glaria (Arg) 5 Piazza (Bra) 5 Nikodimov (Bul) 5 Vasilev (Bul) 5 F.Marinho (Bra) 5 Hadziabdic (Yug) 5 Luis Pereira (Bra) 5 Wolff (Arg) 4 Pavoni (Arg) 4 Penev (Bul) 4 Nordquist (Swe) 4 Schwarzenbeck (Ger) 3 Bransch (E.Ger) Top Midfielders 30 Deyna (Pol) 21 Overath (Ger) 16 Carpegiani (Bra) 16 Acimovic (Yug) 16 Kasperczak (Pol) 14 Bonhof (Ger) 13 Wätzlich (E.Ger) 13 Maszczyk (Pol) 11 Babington (Arg) 11 van Hanegem (Ned) 10 Sparwasser (E.Ger) 9 Olsson (Swe) 9 Jansen (Ned) 9 Rivelino (Bra) 8 Neeskens (Ned) 7 Bremner (Sco) 7 Ayala (Arg) 6 Oblak (Yug) 6 Kindvall (Swe) 5 Mazzola (Ita) 5 Causio (Ita) 5 Benetti (Ita) 5 Rivera (Ita) 4 Petkovic (Yug) 3 Irmscher (E.Ger) 3 Telch (Arg) Top Forwards 36 Cruyff (Ned) 17 Grahn (Swe) 16 Hoeness (Ger) 15 Jerkovic (Yug) 15 Torstensson (Swe) 14 Edström (Swe) 12 Gadocha (Pol) 11 Lato (Pol) 11 Müller (Ger) 10 Jordan (Sco) 10 Valdomiro (Bra) 10 Jairzinho (Bra) 10 Grabowski (Ger) 8 Hölzenbein (Ger) 7 Karasi (Yug) 7 Rep (Ned) 6 Dalglish (Sco) 6 Dzajic (Yug) 5 Leivinha (Bra) 5 Morena (Uru) 5 Denev (Bul) 5 Lorimer (Sco) 5 Bajevic (Yug) 4 Houseman (Arg) 4 Streich (E.Ger) 4 Szarmach (Pol) 3 Sandberg (Swe) 3 Surjak (Yug) Overall 36 Cruyff (Ned) 34 Beckenbauer (Ger) 30 Deyna (Pol) 28 Breitner (Ger) 21 Overath (Ger) 17 Nelinho (Bra) 17 Grahn (Swe) 16 Hoeness (Ger) 16 Carpegiani (Bra) 16 Krol (Ned) 16 Acimovic (Yug) 16 Kasperczak (Pol) 15 Jerkovic (Yug) 15 Torstensson (Swe) 15 Suurbier (Ned) 14 Edström (Swe) 14 Szymanowski (Pol) 14 Bonhof (Ger) 13 Wätzlich (E.Ger) 13 Heredia (Arg) 13 Maszczyk (Pol) 12 Gadocha (Pol) 12 Buljan (Yug) 11 Bogicevic (Yug) 11 van Hanegem (Ned) 11 Babington (Arg) 11 Lato (Pol) 11 Müller (Ger) 10 Jordan (Sco) 10 Jairzinho (Bra) 10 Grabowski (Ger) 10 Valdomiro (Bra) 10 Haan (Ned) 10 Sparwasser (E.Ger) 10 Gorgon (Pol) 10 Quintano (Chi)
Additional players considered in comparison to the file: Spoiler (Move your mouse to the spoiler area to reveal the content) Show Spoiler Hide Spoiler Burgnich Facchetti Morini Spinosi Benetti Capello Causio Rivera Anastasi Chinaglia Riva Bargas Carrascosa Glaria Heredia Perfumo Sa Wolff Ayala Babington Brindisi Houseman Squeo Telch Balbuena Kempes Yazalde Paulo Cesar F.Marinho Nelinho Piazza Ze Maria Carpegiani Dirceu Jairzinho Leivinha Mirandinha Valdomiro Ivkov Nikodimov Penev Vasilev Velitchkov Bonev Kolev Voinov Denev Panov Figueroa R.Garcia Arias Quintano Paez Reinoso Valdes Ahumada Caszely Veliz Bransch Kische Kurbjuweit Weise Irmscher Kreische Lauck Pommerenke Schnuphase Wätzlich P.Ducke Hoffmann Löwe Streich Vogel Cullmann Bonhof Flohe Grabowski Herzog Hölzenbein Heynckes Gorgon Gut Musial Szymanowski Zmuda Domarski Gadocha Kasperczak Maszczyk Buchan Holton Jardine McGrain Bremner Hay Lorimer Dalglish Jordan Morgan Andersson Augustsson Grip Karlsson Nordquist Ejderstedt Kindvall Larsson Olsson Persson Tapper Grahn Sandberg Torstensson P.Forlan Garisto Jauregui Masnik Pavoni Cubilla Esparrago Mantegazza Rocha Corbo Milar Morena Bogicevic Buljan Hadziabdic Katalinski Muzinic Acimovic Oblak Petkovic Bajevic Dzajic Jerkovic Karasi Surjak Criteria for inclusion: a minimum of 100 minutes played (nations not considered were Australia, Haiti, Zaire).
Pretty impressive display by Beckenbauer in many areas of the game. Apparently he has the 5th highest number of passes ever made in one single WC (and by far the highest one for a man playing in the defense) as well as the 4th highest number of recoveries. And he was excellent in duels and shooting accuracy as well. Two players in one, really.
Jairzinho was not 30 times fouled but 26 times. Spoiler (Move your mouse to the spoiler area to reveal the content) Show Spoiler Hide Spoiler Too much Germans in the top 20.
Opta gives the following info on Jairzinho: 1974 30 Fouls won, 21 Fouls conceded http://widget.cloud.opta.net/OptaHo..._p1=&season_p2=23&team_p2=t632&player_p2=8838
Yes, I accidentally looked at 1970WC I think (where he had 26) or the page did not load properly. What is the way to copy paste the link? A stat like this is always tricky because you can view it in both ways (which I certainly will in the case of 1974WC with biased refs like Tschenscher) but I found it for the following teams (fouls won, conceded, yellow): I did not include hosts Mexico but included Sweden instead (who ended ninth in official ranking). Name (games); fouls won; conceded; yellow Brazil (6 games): 103; 96; 4 England (4 games): 71; 72; 2 Germany (6 games): 121; 100; 5 Italy (6 games): 112; 111; 5 Peru (4 games): 46; 47; 1 Uruguay (6 games): 126; 139; 9 USSR (4 games): 85; 108; 8 Sweden (3 games): 49; 46; 2 Yellow cards per game: USSR 2.00 Uruguay 1.50 Italy 0.83 Germany 0.83 Brazil 0.67 Sweden 0.67 England 0.50 Peru 0.25 Fouls won per game: USSR 21.25 Uruguay 21.00 Germany 20.16 Italy 18.66 England 17.75 Brazil 17.16 Sweden 16.33 Peru 11.50 Fouls conceded per game: USSR 27.00 Uruguay 23.17 Italy 18.50 England 18.00 Germany 16.67 Brazil 16.00 Sweden 15.33 Peru 11.75 Uruguay and USSR committed significantly more (registered) fouls as they gained (139 vs 126 and 108 vs 85). Germany won significantly more fouls as the infractions they made (121 won vs 100 registered infractions). The other five sides have more or less a 1:1 ratio.
As addition to the 1974WC: The 1974 Ballon d'Or was controversial I have articles here in front of me who state that English, German and Italian journalists strongly disagreed with the third Ballon d'Or of Cruyff (who eclipsed Di Stefano with this third win). Something similar happened in 1971 when Cruyff won his first with a then record margin. The Italian voter said literally: "It does not take away that some players are a lot better as him like Valentino Mazzola and Franz Beckenbauer." I don't know the complete list for 1974 Ballon d'Or but I know that the English, German and Italian representative did not vote for Cruijff. Austria did not vote for him too but the Belgian, Portuguese and Danish journalist thought otherwise. I do know it for 1971 and 1973 edition: In 1971 the following nations had Cruijff not at first place: Spain, Italy, Austria, Greece, West-Germany, Finland and England. Finland had him not in the top five and Italy voted him on fifth place. In 1973 the following had him not on first place: West-Germany, Austria, Sweden, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Italy and Denmark. Furthermore, Bulgaria and England had him not among the first five. There are also a few quotes where Cruijff criticizes the journalists on the occasions when he won. Typical. He also said: "All this attention is not good for me. I do not feel comfortable in a smoking at ceremonies like this. Maybe I had retired if I had won the final. This is very difficult. Losing the final was also difficult, especially with everything around it not related to the essence of the game." The Press Agencies and other organizations were in 1974 divided as well for the overall sportsman of the year award. In most lists Muhammed Ali ranked on top with a footballer among the first three. Reuters (UK) and Associated Press (USA) had Beckenbauer ahead of Cruijff (IIRC but I could not find this so quick again, the BBC sports personality award had Beckenbauer nominated and not Cruijff; Pelé won the award in 1970 but in 1974 Muhammed Ali won). French agency AFP had Cruijff ahead of Beckenbauer (after a vote), just like the Austrian, Italian, Polish, Belgian and Spanish one.
I have revised the part on the 1966 World Cup after adding every player that at least played in two games (of any participating nation). Goalkeepers are now also added. Additional players: Spoiler (Move your mouse to the spoiler area to reveal the content) Show Spoiler Hide Spoiler Ferreiro Marzolini Perfumo Albrecht A.Gonzalez Rattin Solari Artime Mas Onega Altair Bellini Paulo Henrique D,Santos Denilson Jairzinho Lima Garrincha Alcindo Gaganelov Penev Shalamanov Vutsov Zhechev Dermendjiev Yakimov Asparukhov Kolev Kotkov Figueroa Valentini Villanueva H.Cruz Fouilloux Marcos Prieto L.Sanchez Araya Landa Greaves Hunt Artelesa Bosquier Budzinski J.Djorkaeff Bonnel Herbet Herbin Simon Gondet Hausser Brülls Emmerich Kaposzta Matrai Meszöly Szepesi Albert Farkas Mathesz Nagy Rakosi Sipos Bene Burgnich Facchetti Rosato Salvadore Bulgarelli Lodetti Rivera Barison Perani Chaires Nunez Pena E.Garcia G.Hernandez I.Diaz Mercado Gutierrez Reyes Zoong Sun Lim Li Sup Park Yung Kioo Shin Yung Won Ha Bong Jin Han Seung Hwi Im Il Sueng Kim Yoon Kyung Oh Doo Ik Park Dong Woon Li Seung Zin Park Sung Kook Yang Baptista José Carlos Hilario Festa Lucas Morais Coluna Graca Simoes Gallego Pirri Reija Sanchis Zoco Del Sol Gento Peiro Suarez Amancio Brodmann Fuhrer Stierli Armbruster Bäni Kuhn Gottardi Hosp Künzli Quentin Pelé Goncalves Manicera Troche Ubinas Caetano Cortes Rocha H.Silva Perez Sacia Viera Khurtsilava Korneyev Ostrovski Ponomarev Chislenko Danilov Khusainov Sabo Sichinava Voronin Metreveli Serebrjanikov Roma Gilmar Naydenov Olivares Banks Aubour Tilkowski Gelei Albertosi Calderon Chan Myong Li José Pereira Iribar Elsener Mazurkiewicz Yashin Kavazashvili 1966 Number of Passes Defenders 335 Moore (Eng) 238 Schnellinger (Ger) 238 Wilson (Eng) 217 Hilario (Por) 197 Schulz (Ger) Midfielders 321 Overath (Ger) 311 Graca (Por) 303 R.Charlton (Eng) 260 Simoes (Por) 243 Haller (Ger) Forwards 271 Jose Augusto (Por) 250 Onega (Arg) 248 Eusebio (Por) 231 Torres (Por) 183 Seung Zin Park (N.Kor) Number of successful passes Defenders 291 Moore (Eng) 205 Wilson (Eng) 184 Schnellinger (Ger) 168 Hilario (Por) 161 Schulz (Ger) Midfielders 268 Graca (Por) 251 Overath (Ger) 234 R.Charlton (Eng) 192 Haller (Ger) 188 Coluna (Por) Forwards 224 José Augusto (Por) 206 Eusebio (Por) 164 Torres (Por) 143 Sipos (Hun) 140 Held (Ger) Number of successful passes per minute (minimum 100 passes) Defenders 0.51 Moore (Eng) 0.48 D.Santos (Bra) 0.47 Pirri (Spa) 0.47 Festa (Por) 0.44 Marzolini (Arg) 0.44 Chaires (Mex) Midfielders 0.62 Denilson (Bra) 0.55 Yakimov (Bul) 0.54 Marcos (Chi) 0.53 Lima (Bra) 0.51 Bäni (Swi) Forwards 0.62 Del Sol (Spa) 0.54 Onega (Arg) 0.42 Hosp (Swi) 0.42 José Augusto (Por) 0.42 Reyes (Mex) Passing accuracy (minimum 100 passes) Defenders 88.1 Perfumo (Arg) (74/10) 87.1 Weber (Ger) (88/13) 86.9 Moore (Eng) (291/44) 86.1 Wilson (Eng) (205/33) 86.0 Ferreiro (Arg) (117/19) Midfielders 86.8 Zoco (Spa) (112/17) 86.3 Rocha (Uru) (132/21) 86.2 Graca (Por) (268/43) 84.4 Solari (Arg) (178/33) 84.2 Stiles (Eng) (160/30) Forwards 83.1 Eusebio (Por) (206/42) 83.0 Jose Augusto (Por) (225/46) 82.5 Malofeev (USSR) (99/21) 81.9 Held (Ger) (140/31) 79.3 Hurst (Eng) (73/19) Passing accuracy opp. half (minimum 100 passes) Defenders 79.4 Weber (Ger) 77.0 Moore (Eng) 75.7 Concalves (Uru) 75.4 Pirri (Spa) 73.8 Szepesi (Hun) Midfielders 80.6 Zoco (Spa) 79.1 Rocha (Uru) 78.9 Yakimov (Bul) 78.4 Lima (Bra) 76.7 Graca (Por) Forwards 76.4 Malofeev (USSR) 74.1 Sipos (Hun) 74.0 Viera (Uru) 73.6 Jose Augusto (Por) 70.1 Reyes (Mex) Duels won (%) (minimum 30 duels) Defenders 81.1 Shalamanov (Bul) (30/7) 76.1 Weber (Ger) (35/11) 72.5 Ferreiro (Arg) (29/11) 71.1 Burgnich (Ita) (23/9) 68.6 Ponomarev (USSR) (24/11) Midfielders 69.4 Danilov (USSR) (25/11) 63.8 G.Hernandez (Mex) (30/17) 63.3 Armbruster (Swi) (19/11) 61.7 Bonnel (Fra) (29/18) 60.3 Beckenbauer (Ger) (47/31) 60.3 Haller (Ger) (41/27) Forwards 61.3 Eusebio (Por) (68/43) 57.8 Pelé (Bra) (26/19) 56.5 Seung Zin Park (N.Kor) (35/27) 54.8 Metreveli (USSR) (17/14) 53.4 Seeler (Ger) (39/34) 53.4 Rakosi (Hun) (31/27) Aerial duels won (%) Defenders (minimum 5 duels) 87.5 Schnellinger (Ger) (14/2) 80.0 Reija (Spa) (4/1) 78.1 J.Charlton (Eng) (25/7) 71.4 Meszöly (Hun) (5/2) 71.4 Goncalves (Uru) (5/2) Midfielders (minimum 3 duels) 100 Graca (Por) (4/0) 100 Sabo (USSR) (4/0) 88.9 Peters (Eng) (8/1) 71.4 Sichinava (USSR) (5/2) 66.7 Voronin (USSR) (6/3) 66.7 Stiles (Eng) (4/2) 66.7 Beckenbauer (Ger) (2/1) Forwards (minimum 5 duels) 100 Barison (Ita) (5/0) 80.0 Eusebio (Por) (4/1) 80.0 Sacia (Uru) (4/1) 77.8 Asparukhov (Bul) (7/2) 66.7 Serebrjanikov (USSR) (4/2) Recoveries Defenders 73 Moore (Eng) 52 Schulz (Ger) 44 Wilson (Eng) 34 Schnellinger (Ger) 33 Hilario (Por) 33 Fuhrer (Swi) 33 Cohen (Eng) Midfielders 59 Coluna (Por) 53 R.Charlton (Eng) 49 Overath (Ger) 49 Graca (Por) 42 Peters (Eng) Forwards 39 Seung Zin Park (N.Kor) 37 Eusebio (Por) 36 Jose Augusto (Por) 26 Reyes (Mex) 25 Rakosi (Hun) Tackles won (%) Defenders (minimum 10 tackles) 100 Artelesa (Fra) (10/0) 91.7 Rosato (Ita) (11/1) 86.7 Matrai (Hun) (13/2) 86.7 Burgnich (Ita) (13/2) 83.3 Zhechev (Bul) (15/3) Midfielders (minimum 10 tackles) 100 Armbruster (Swi) (11/0) 95.2 Overath (Ger) (20/1) 88.9 Yoon Kyung Oh (N.Kor) (16/2) 86.7 Danilov (USSR) (13/2) 86.7 Voronin (USSR (13/2) Forwards (minimum 5 tackles) 100 Jose Augusto (Por) (16/0) 100 Onega (Arg) (5/0) 100 Gondet (Fra) (5/0) 91.7 Jairzinho (Bra) (11/1) 90.9 Eusebio (Por) (10/1) Clearances Defenders 60 Yung Kioo Shin (N.Kor) 57 Troche (Uru) 53 Schulz (Ger) 49 Shesterniev (USSR) 47 Weber (Ger) Midfielders 25 Zoco (Spa) 24 Yoon Kyung Oh (N.Kor) 22 Albrecht (Arg) 20 Yung Won Ha (N.Kor) 17 Coluna (Por) Forwards 9 Sipos (Hun) 5 Hunt (Eng) 5 Seung Zin Park (N.Kor) 4 Jose Augusto (Por) 4 Del Sol (Spa) Blocks Defenders 10 Schulz (Ger) 10 Baptista (Por) 8 Shesterniev (USSR) 8 Yung Kioo Shin (N.Kor) 7 Moore (Eng) 7 Matrai (Hun) 7 Salvadore (Ita) Midfielders 9 Stiles (Eng) 5 Beckenbauer (Ger) 4 Rattin (Arg) 4 Bulgarelli (Ita) 3 Peters (Eng) 3 Seung Hwi Im (N.Kor) 3 Graca (Por) 3 Zoco (Spa) Forwards 2 Sipos (Hun) 2 Seung Zin Park (N.Kor) 2 Del Sol (Spa) 1 Peiro (Spa) 1 Quentin (Swi) 1 Seeler (Ger) 1 Held (Ger) 1 Porkujan (USSR) 1 Mas (Arg) 1 Gondet (Fra) Interceptions Defenders 28 Hilario (Por) 26 Weber (Ger) 24 Moore (Eng) 24 Schnellinger (Ger) 23 Ponomarev (USSR) Midfielders 22 Overath (Ger) 22 Peters (Eng) 22 Coluna (Por) 20 Stiles (Eng) 18 Zoco (Spa) Forwards 18 Jose Augusto (Por) 13 Seung Zin Park (N.Kor) 12 Sipos (Hun) 10 Del Sol (Spa) 9 Seeler (Ger) Goals Defenders 2 Meszöly (Hun) (1 penalty) 1 Weber (Ger) 1 Pirri (Spa) 1 Sanchis (Spa) Midfielders 6 Haller (Ger) (1 penalty) 4 Beckenbauer (Ger) 3 R.Charlton (Eng) 2 Marcos (Chi) (1 penalty) 2 Chislenko (USSR) Forwards 9 Eusebio (Por) (4 penalties) 4 Porkujan (USSR) 4 Hurst (Eng) 4 Bene (Hun) 3 Jose Augusto (Por) 3 Torres (Por) 3 Artime (Arg) 3 Hunt (Eng) Shooting accuracy Defenders (minimum 2 shots) 100 Sanchis (Spa) (3/0) 83.3 Pirri (Spa) (5/1) 50.0 Meszöly (Hun) (4/4) 50.0 Ubinas (Uru) (2/2) 50.0 Burgnich (Ita) (1/1) 50.0 Weber (Ger) (1/1) 50.0 Höttges (Ger) (1/1) 50.0 Chaires (Mex) (1/1) 50.0 Hilario (Por) (1/1) 50.0 Fuhrer (Swi) (1/1) Midfielders (minimum 5 shots) 80.0 Herbet (Fra) (4/1) 66.7 Farkas (Hun) (6/3) 62.5 Mazzola (Ita) (5/3) 61.9 Beckenbauer (Ger) (13/8) 55.6 Marcos (Chi) (5/4) Forwards (minimum 10 shots) 66.7 Hurst (Eng) (10/5) 66.7 L.Sanchez (Chi) (8/4) 58.3 Seeler (Ger) (14/10) 58.3 Porkujan (USSR) (7/5) 55.0 Torres (Por) (11/9) Successful crosses (minimum 5 crosses) Defenders 46.2 Ponomarew (USSR) (6/7) 42.9 Hilario (Por) (3/4) 33.3 Szepesi (Hun) (2/4) 26.7 Chaires (Mex) (4/11) 25.0 Ubinas (Uru) (3/9) Midfielders 45.5 Mazzola (Ita) (5/6) 45.5 Coluna (Por) (5/6) 40.0 Chislenko (USSR (6/9) 37.5 Rivera (Ita) (3/5) 35.7 Khusainov (USSR) (5/9) Forwards 42.9 Sung Kook Yang (N.Kor) (3/4) 40.0 Amancio (Spa) (2/3) 38.7 Rakosi (Hun) (12/19) 38.5 Emmerich (Ger) (5/8) 36.8 Perez (Uru) (7/12) Assists Defenders 2 Moore (Eng) 2 Schnellinger (Ger) 1 Meszöly (Hun) Midfielders 3 Simoes (Por) 2 Haller (Ger) 2 Overath (Ger) 2 Sabo (USSR) 1 Peters (Eng) 1 Ball (Eng) 1 A.Gonzalez (Arg) 1 Solari (Arg) 1 Yakimov (Bul) 1 Yung Won Ha (N.Kor) 1 Bon Jin Ha (N.Kor) Forwards 3 Torres (Por) 3 Held (Ger) 2 Jose Augusto (Por) 2 Onega (Arg) 2 Bene (Hun) Chances created Defenders 13 Moore (Eng) 10 Schnellinger (Ger) 7 Kaposzta (Hun) 6 Wilson (Eng) 6 Fuhrer (Swi) 6 Ponomarev (USSR) Midfielders 31 Simoes (Por) 18 R.Charlton (Eng) 17 Overath (Eng) 14 Haller (Ger) 14 Graca (Por) Forwards 19 Held (Ger) 17 Torres (Por) 13 Banishevsky (USSR) 12 Malofeev (USSR) 10 Eusebio (Por) 10 Seeler (Ger) 10 Jose Augusto (Por) Chances created per xy minutes Defenders 43.8 Moore (Eng) 45.0 Fuhrer (Swi) 51.4 Kaposzta (Hun) 57.0 Schnellinger (Ger) 60.0 Paulo Henrique (Bra) Midfielders 13.8 Rivera (Ita) 17.4 Simoes (Por) 24.2 Chislenko (USSR) 24.5 Mazzola (Ita) 27.0 Bulgarelli (Ita) Forwards 25.7 Rakosi (Hun) 30.0 Held (Ger) 30.0 Amancio (Spa) 30.0 Perez (Uru) 30.0 Landa (Chi) 30.0 Greaves (Eng) 30.0 Hausser (Fra) 30.0 Bene (Hun) Fouls won Defenders 13 Weber (Ger) 11 Ferreiro (Arg) 10 Concalves (Uru) 9 Schnellinger (Ger) 8 Shalamanov (Bul) Midfielders 15 Ball (Eng) 14 Chislenko (Eng) 13 Mazzola (Ita) 13 Haller (Ger) 12 Albert (Hun) 12 Doo Ik Park (N.Kor) Forwards 19 Eusebio (Por) 18 Seeler (Ger) 18 Seung Zin Park (N.Kor) 15 Malofeev (USSR) 14 Held (Ger) Fouls conceded Defenders 16 Moore (Eng) 16 Hilario (Por) 13 J.Charlton (Eng) 11 Ubinas (Uru) 10 Schnellinger (Ger) 10 Meszöly (Hun) Midfielders 15 Ball (Eng) 15 Overath (Ger) 15 Sabo (USSR) 14 Stiles (Eng) 14 Khusainov (USSR) Forwards 13 Torres (Por) 13 Kolev (Bul) 11 Mas (Arg) 11 Viera (Uru) 8 Hunt (Eng) 8 Jairzinho (Bra) Goalkeepers Minutes per goals conceded 190 Banks (Eng) 180 Roma (Arg) 180 Kavazashvili (USSR) 135 Albertosi (Ita) 95 Tilkowski (Ger) Saves 28 Chang Myong Li (N.Kor) 26 Tilkowski (Ger) 21 Banks (Eng) 21 Mazurkiewicz (Uru) 20 Yashin (USSR) Saves per 90 minutes 2.5 Gilmar (Bra) 2.7 Gelei (Hun) 3.0 Calderon (Mex) 3.0 Pereira (Por) 3.3 Roma (Arg) 3.3 Banks (Eng) 3.3 Albertosi (Ita) Shots saved % 90.9 Kavazashvili (USSR) 87.5 Banks (Eng) 86.7 Roma (Arg) 83.3 Albertosi (Ita) 81.3 Tilkowski (Ger) Catches 18 Roma (Arg) 10 Banks (Eng) 10 Calderon (Mex) 9 Yashin (USSR) 8 Pereira (Por) Punches 17 Tilkowski (Ger) 11 Banks (Eng) 9 Yashin (USSR) 7 Naydenov (Bul) 7 Chang Myong Li (N.Kor) Conclusion based on the following points system: 1st place 5 points 2nd place 4 pts 3rd place 3 pts 4th place 2 pts 5th place 1 pt (Categories “Fouls won” and “Fouls conceded” & "most successful passes" were not awarded) Top Defenders 41 Moore (Eng) 25 Schnellinger (Ger) 25 Weber (Ger) 15 Hilario (Por) 13 Schulz (Ger) 13 Pirri (Spa) 11 Wilson (Eng) 10 Fuhrer (Swi) 9 Ponomarev (USSR) 9 Sanchis (Spa) 8 Burgnich (Ita) 8 Yung Kioo Shin (N.Kor) 6 Chaires (Mex) 6 Kaposzta (Hun) 5 Perfumo (Arg) 5 Goncalves (Uru) 5 Shalamanov (Bul) 5 Shesterniev (USSR) 5 Artelesa (Fra) 5 Baptista (Por) 4 Rosato (Ita) 4 Troche (Uru) 4 Matrai (Hun) 4 Szepesi (Hun) 4 Ubinas (Uru) 4 D.Santos (Bra) 4 Ferreiro (Arg) 4 Reija (Spa) Top Midfielders 24 Overath (Ger) 18 Graca (Por) 17 Zoco (Spa) 16 Coluna (Por) 16 Simoes (Por) 14 R.Charlton (Eng) 13 Haller (Ger) 12 Beckenbauer (Ger) 11 Peters (Eng) 10 Rakosi (Hun) 10 Mazzola (Ita) 9 Stiles (Eng) 8 Yakimov (Bul) 8 Rocha (Uru) 8 Chislenko (USSR) 8 Armbruster (Swi) 7 Rivera (Ita) 7 Danilov (USSR) 7 Yoon Kyung Oh (N.Kor) 6 Marcos (Chi) 5 Denilson (Bra) 5 Herbet (Fra) 4 Farkas (Hun) 4 Lima (Bra) 4 Bulgarelli (Ita) 4 Hernandez (Mex) Top Forwards 34 José Augusto (Por) 28 Eusebio (Por) 22 Seung Zin Park (N.Kor) 18 Held (Ger) 17 Sipos (Hun) 16 Onega (Arg) 14 Del Sol (Spa) 13 Torres (Por) 11 Bene (Hun) 10 Malofeev (USSR) 10 Hurst (Eng) 8 Seeler (Ger) 8 Porkujan (USSR) 8 Amancio (Spa) 7 Gondet (Fra) 6 Reyes (Mex) 5 Barison (Ita) 5 Hunt (Eng) 5 Sung Kook Yang (N.Kor) 4 Pelé (Bra) 4 Sacia (Uru) 4 Perez (Uru) 4 Landa (Chi) 4 Greaves (Eng) 4 Hausser (Fra) Top Goalkeepers 21 Banks (Eng) 13 Roma (Arg) 11 Tilkowski (Ger) 9 Kavazashvili (USSR) 7 Chang Myong Li (N.Kor) 7 Calderon (Mex) 6 Yashin (USSR) 5 Gilmar (Bra) 5 Albertosi (Ita) 4 Pereira (Por) 4 Gelei (Hun) 2 Naydenov (Bul) 2 Mazurkiewicz (Uru) Overall 41 Moore (Eng) 34 José Augusto (Por) 28 Eusebio (Por) 25 Schnellinger (Ger) 25 Weber (Ger) 24 Overath (Ger) 22 Seung Zin Park (N.Kor) 18 Graca (Por) 18 Held (Ger) 17 Sipos (Hun) 17 Zoco (Spa) 16 Coluna (Por) 16 Simoes (Por) 16 Onega (Arg) 15 Hilario (Por) 14 R.Charlton (Eng) 14 Del Sol (Spa) 13 Torres (Por) 13 Haller (Ger) 13 Schulz (Ger) 13 Pirri (Spa) 12 Beckenbauer (Ger) 11 Peters (Eng) 11 Wilson (Eng) 11 Bene (Hun) 10 Malofeev (USSR) 10 Hurst (Eng) 10 Rakosi (Hun) 10 Mazzola (Ita) 10 Fuhrer (Swi)
That is excellent, to apply the same standard to all World Cups. Applying thresholds is very good too although it'll always be a bit arbitrary. What is a too high threshold and what is too low? Is 5 crosses too low? Is 30 duels too high? No definite answer exists although it is theoretically possible to look at the total distribution and then decide a cut-off point. I'd say the most important thing is that all standards are applied to all World Cups. So, not a minimum of five shots in one WC and a minimum of 2 or 10 in another one. I also see it has some consequences for the outcome. The first one seemed very intuitive (with Eusebio, Beckenbauer, Charlton etc. at top; as usual), the final lists of this one is more surprising.
There are three categories which I added to the original opta categories: "successful passes", "successful passes per minute" and "chances created per xy minutes". I think I'll drop the first two categories. The players that played most passes will also very likely lead in "most successful passes" and "successful passes per minute", so that their points total will get unnecessarily bloated by these two additional "passes" categories. "Chances created per xy minutes" however makes sense.
The category "successful passes per minute" actually brought considerably different results compared to "passes" so I left that. However I deducted all points of "most successful passes" as it was basically the same as "most passes". Thus new points totals for 1966 and 1974.
The range of passing accuracy is generally between 70 and 90 % (maybe even with a peak between 75 and 85% - I read a study that grossly puts it at 80% for the dominant sides) so with such a small range "most passes" and "most successful passes" will indeed overlap to a big extent - also because the ones with the most game played will generally end on top. This is of course not the case for "passes per minute" because not everyone played the same amount of games or minutes (btw, not everyone had the same caliber of opponents, tactics and team mates too but that is an irresolvable problem). The same will happen if also other categories become converted to per game or per minute. Outcomes will also vary if the thresholds are placed higher or lower (minimum of 2 shots or 10 does make a difference just as 5 or 15/20 crosses).
It;s always fun to discuss of Stats likes passing shots and tackles or duels won ... however for such a short tournament it becomes a bit misleading especially if the "threshold" you proposed is small. Also each category should be weighed differently per position. - Shooting: (for FW and AM ) in average a FW would have minimum 3 shots per game or 20+ shots per WC to be counted as acceptable meaningful. For MF the average would be around 10-15/7games. 2, or 4 shots are more like lucky rolling dice if we do not have time to re-watch the game for such player. Opta missed out the so called Goals conversion ratio = goals/shots total or shots on target - Again this is misleading if the total number of shots is less than 10 - Passing: (for MF, AM ) For MF/AM, 30-40 pass per game or 200+ per WC would be a good number. For FW 15-25 pass or 100+ successful pass % did NOT account for "risky pass" like thru pass, chip over or long pass /crossing ... So it's easier for a DM or CB with more successful passing (more often simple square pass or forward/reverse pass) than a Winger or AM (with more vision/risky ones) . Here we can see how many Xavi/Messi/Alonso could rack up their number in a game for that - but besides some good thru pass of Messi/Xavi, most are square pass or laying off pass to a team mate 3,4 meters a way! Ronaldinho/Zidane had much less successful pass for they performed more risky passes and which only be appreciated during watching - not aftermath stats
1978 Number of Passes Defenders 455 Krol (Ned) 367 Olguin (Arg) 362 Passarella (Arg) 312 Kaltz (Ger) 296 Scirea (Ita) Midfielders 423 Prohaska (Aut) 379 Batista (Bra) 331 Dirceu (Bra) 328 Deyna (Pol) 322 Ardiles (Arg) Forwards 250 Kempes (Arg) 240 Mendonca (Bra) 207 Bettega (Ita) 193 Rossi (Ita) 191 Rensenbrink (Ned) Number of successful passes per minute Defenders 0.87 Pirri (Spa) 0.55 Krol (Ned) 0.54 Marcelino (Spa) 0.51 Kaltz (Ger) 0.48 Olguin (Arg) Midfielders 0.69 Rivelino (Bra) 0.65 Prohaska (Aut) 0.60 Larrosa (Arg) 0.58 Flohe (Ger) 0.56 Quesada (Peru) 0.56 Leal (Spa) Forwards 0.51 Mendonca (Bra) 0.37 Boniek (Pol) 0.36 Rummenigge (Ger) 0.32 H.Sanchez (Mex) 0.30 Lahzami (Tun) Passing accuracy (minimum 100 passes) Defenders 94.4 Pirri (Spa) (118/7) 93.6 Obermayer (Aut) (204/14) 93.1 Dietz (Ger) (162/12) 92.7 Antonio Dias dos Santos (Bra) (164/13) 92.4 Marcelino (Spa) (146/12) Midfielders 90.2 Quesada (Peru) (101/11) 87.3 Cuellar (Mex) (137/20) 86.9 San José (Spa) (106/16) 86.1 Larrosa (Arg) (87/14) 85.7 Tardelli (Ita) (222/37) Forwards 88.9 Rummenigge (Ger) (161/20) 88.8 Mendonca (Bra) (213/27) 83.7 Oblitas (Peru) (128/25) 83.5 Boniek (Pol) (142/28) 82.4 Rossi (Ita) (159/34) Passing accuracy opp. half (minimum 100 passes) Defenders 87.7 Dietz (Ger) 85.3 Amaral (Bra) 84.0 Pirri (Spa) 80.8 Vogts (Ger) 77.1 Antonio Dias dos Santos (Bra) Midfielders 87.2 Quesada (Peru) 82.1 Larrosa (Arg) 80.9 Platini (Fra) 78.3 Toninho Cerezo (Bra) 77.1 Asensi (Spa) Forwards 85.4 Mendonca (Bra) 79.7 Rummenigge (Ger) 75.5 H.Sanchez (Mex) 73.2 Boniek (Pol) 73.0 Oblitas (Peru) Duels won (%) (minimum 30 duels) Defenders 70.1 Szymanowski (Pol) (47/20) 66.7 Dietz (Ger) (42/21) 66.7 Chumpitaz (Peru) (26/13) 64.9 Trésor (Fra) (24/13) 61.7 Kaltz (Ger) (29/18) Midfielders 66.7 San José (Spa) (24/12) 64.5 Ardiles (Arg) (80/44) 62.3 Flohe (Ger) (33/20) 62.1 Jansen (Ned) (41/25) 61.8 Hölzenbein (Ger) (21/13) Forwards 67.6 Ortiz (Arg) (50/24) 65.7 Bertoni (Arg) (69/36) 65.3 Jordan (Sco) (49/26) 56.9 Szarmach (Pol) (33/25) 56.0 Abramczik (Ger) (28/22) Aerial duels won (%) Defenders (minimum 5 duels) 100 Trésor (Fra) (7/0) 83.3 Maculewicz (Pol) (5/1) 81.8 Gentile (Ita) (9/2) 80.0 Gorgon (Pol) (4/1) 80.0 Jebali (Tun) (4/1) Midfielders (minimum 3 duels) 100 Nanninga (Ned) (8/0) 80.0 Zaccarelli (Ita) (4/1) 75.0 Nawalka (Pol) (9/3) 75.0 L.Larsson (Swe) (6/2) 75.0 Zimmermann (Ger) (3/1) Forwards (minimum 5 duels) 72.7 Santillana (Spa) (8/3) 70.0 Jordan (Sco) (14/6) 62.5 Rep (Ned) (10/6) 62.5 Fischer (Ger) (10/6) 61.1 Szarmach (Pol) (11/7) Recoveries Defenders 59 Krol (Ned) 59 Olguin (Arg) 46 R.Sara (Aut) 45 Scirea (Ita) 43 Passarella (Arg) Midfielders 57 Batista (Bra) 46 Prohaska (Aut) 44 Deyna (Pol) 43 Causio (Ita) 42 Cubillas (Peru) Forwards 35 Rummenigge (Ger) 31 Kempes (Arg) 27 Mendonca (Bra) 25 Rensenbrink (Ned) 24 Oblitas (Peru) Tackles won (%) Defenders (minimum 10 tackles) 93.8 Chumpitaz (Peru) (15/1) 86.0 Olguin (Arg) (37/6) 85.7 Antonio Dias dos Santos (Bra) (18/3) 81.8 Passarella (Arg) (18/4) 81.0 Poortvliet (Ned) (17/4) Midfielders (minimum 10 tackles) 100 Causio (Ita) (13/0) 93.3 Tardelli (Ita) (14/1) 92.3 Gasmi (Tun) (12/1) 90.0 Jansen (Ned) (18/2) 83.3 H.Müller (Ger) (10/2) Forwards (minimum 5 tackles) 85.7 Rocheteau (Fra) (6/1) 83.3 Rossi (Ita) (10/2) 80.0 Six (Fra) (4/1) 80.0 Akid (Tun) (4/1) 77.8 Bertoni (Arg) (7/2) Clearances Defenders 63 Passarella (Arg) 62 Scirea (Ita) 59 Oscar (Bra) 53 Pezzey (Aut) 50 Manzo (Peru) Midfielders 24 Gallego (Arg) 18 Tardelli (Ita) 17 Batista (Bra) 15 Velazquez (Peru) 14 Bonhof (Ger) Forwards 9 Bettega (Ita) 6 Kempes (Arg) 4 Ortiz (Arg) 3 Lato (Pol) 3 Rummenigge (Ger) 3 Rensenbrink (Ned) Blocks Defenders 12 Ayala (Mex) 11 Scirea (Ita) 9 Oscar (Bra) 8 Pezzey (Aut) 7 Manzo (Peru) Midfielders 6 Velazquez (Peru) 5 Bonhof (Ger) 3 La Rosa (Peru) 3 Kasperczak (Pol) 3 L.Larsson (Swe) 3 Tardelli (Ita) Forwards 2 Oblitas (Peru) 2 Rummenigge (Ger) 2 Juanito (Spa) Interceptions Defenders 31 Vogts (Ger) 31 Oscar (Bra) 30 Rüssmann (Ger) 27 Manzo (Peru) 25 Olguin (Arg) 25 Gentile (Ita) Midfielders 36 Gallego (Arg) 33 Batista (Bra) 29 W.van de Kerkhof (Ned) 24 Dirceu (Bra) 23 Velazquez (Peru) Forwards 18 Kempes (Arg) 12 Boniek (Pol) 10 Rummenigge (Ger) 9 Lato (Pol) 8 Ortiz (Arg) Goals Defenders 2 Nelinho (Bra) 2 Brandts (Ned) 1 Lopez (Fra) 1 Ayala (Mex) 1 Tarantini (Arg) 1 Passarella (Arg) 1 Dhuoib (Tun) 1 Kaabi (Tun) Midfielders 5 Cubillas (Peru) 3 Dirceu (Bra) 2 Gemmill (Sco) 2 Flohe (Ger) 2 Haan (Ned) Forwards 6 Kempes (Arg) 5 Rensenbrink (Ned) (4 penalties) 4 Krankl (Aut) (1 penalty) 3 Rep (Ned) 3 Rummenigge (Ger) 3 Rossi (Ita) 3 Roberto Dinamite (Bra) Shooting accuracy (minimum 5 shots) Defenders 60.0 Poortvliet (Ned) (3/2) 52.6 Passarella (Arg) (10/9) 46.7 Nelinho (Bra) (7/8) 33.3 Olguin (2/4) Midfielders 83.3 Hickersberger (Aut) (5/1) 80.0 Zaccarelli (Ita) (4/1) 63.6 W.van de Kerkhof (Ned) (7/4) 60.0 Flohe (Ger) (3/2) 60.0 Danayfar (Iran) (3/2) 60.0 Rioch (Sco) (3/2) Forwards 83.3 Rowshan (Iran) (5/1) 71.4 Juanito (Spa) (5/2) 71.4 Reinaldo (Bra) (5/2) 63.6 Luque (Arg) (7/4) 63.6 Gil (Bra) (7/4) Successful crosses (minimum 5 crosses) Defenders 60.0 Suurbier (Ned) (3/2) 60.0 R.Rojas (Peru) (3/2) 57.1 Donachie (Sco) (4/3) 50.0 Edinho (Bra) (3/3) 46.2 Erlandsson (Swe) (6/7) Midfielders 60.0 Hickersberger (Aut) (3/2) 50.0 Michel (5/5) 50.0 Bonhof (Ger) (10/10) 50.0 Masztaler (Pol) (4/4) 43.5 Jansen (Ned) (10/13) Forwards 40.0 Rep (Ned) (4/6) 40.0 D.Müller (Ger) (2/3) 37.5 Six (Fra) (3/5) 37.5 Dalglish (Sco) (3/5) 33.3 Kempes (Arg) (4/8) Assists Defenders 2 Passarella (Arg) 2 Krol (Ned) 1 Vogts (Ger) 1 Pezzey (Aut) 1 Janvion (Fra) 1 Gentile (Ita) 1 Poortvliet (Ned) Midfielders 3 R.van de Kerkhof (Ned) 2 Bonhof (Ger) 2 Krieger (Aut) 2 Causio (Ita) Forwards 3 Rensenbrink (Ned) 3 Bertoni (Arg) 2 Lubanski (Pol) 2 Lato (Pol) 2 Kempes (Arg) 2 Rossi (Ita) Chances created Defenders 11 R.Sara (Aut) 9 Passarella (Arg) 8 Krol (Ned) 8 Poortvliet (Ned) 6 Marcelino (Spa) 5 Pezzey (Aut) 5 Antonio Dias dos Santos (Bra) Midfielders 19 Haan (Ned) 17 Deyna (Pol) 15 Ardiles (Arg) 15 Causio (Ita) 14 Bonhof (Ger) Forwards 18 Kempes (Arg) 15 Rensenbrink (Ned) 14 Lato (Pol) 13 Bertoni (Arg) 13 Lubanski (Pol) 13 Rossi (Ita) 13 Rep (Ned) Chances created per xy minutes Defenders 45.0 Marcelino (Spa) 56.0 Navarro (Peru) 60.0 Burns (Sco) 67.5 Pirri (Spa) 67.5 R.Rojas (Peru) Midfielders 22.5 Cuellar (Mex) 23.0 Zico (Bra) 28.2 Cardenosa (Spa) 28.8 Larrosa (Arg) 30.0 Haan (Ned) Forwards 15.2 Lubanski (Pol) 24.5 H.Sanchez (Mex) 25.7 Juanito (Spa) 26.0 Rouyer (Fra) 33.1 D.Müller (Ger) Fouls won Defenders 18 Gentile (Ita) 13 Cabrini (Ita) 11 Passarella (Arg) 10 Szymanowski (Pol) 9 Edinho (Bra) Midfielders 32 Ardiles (Arg) 16 Tardelli (Ita) 14 Batista (Bra) 13 Haan (Ned) 13 Gallego (Arg) 13 Hickersberger (Aut) Forwards 29 Kempes (Arg) 28 Bertoni (Arg) 27 Bettega (Ita) 23 Jordan (Sco) 20 Ortiz (Arg) 20 Oblitas (Peru) Fouls conceded Defenders 19 Oscar (Bra) 19 Olguin (Arg) 19 Poortvliet (Ned) 18 Gentile (Ita) 18 Maculewicz (Pol) Midfielders 23 Haan (Ned) 23 W.van de Kerkhof (Ned) 22 Benetti (Ita) 17 Gallego (Arg) 14 Kreuz (Aut) 14 Nawalka (Pol) Forwards 17 Kempes (Arg) 15 Rep (Ned) 14 Rummenigge (Ger) 11 Reinaldo (Bra) 10 Boniek (Pol) 10 Rensenbrink (Ned) Goalkeepers Minutes per goals conceded 210 Leao (Bra) 165 Fillol (Arg) 135 Miguel Angel (Spa) 135 Naili (Tun) 120 Tomaszewski (Pol) Saves 50 Quiroga (Peru) 35 Fillol (Arg) 30 Koncilia (Aut) 27 Leao (Bra) 23 Zoff (Ita) Saves per 90 minutes 8.3 Quiroga (Peru) 5.4 Bertrand-Demanes (Frau) 5.3 Naili (Tun) 5.0 Koncilia (Aut) 4.9 Schrijvers (Ned) Shots saved % 90.0 Leao (Bra) 89.7 Fillol (Arg) 88.9 Naili (Tun) 84.6 Miguel Angel (Spa) 83.3 Hellström (Swe) Catches 19 Fillol (Arg) 17 Zoff (Ita) 15 Naili (Tun) 14 Maier (Ger) 12 Quiroga (Peru) Punches 8 Naili (Tun) 7 Quiroga (Peru) 5 Leao (Bra) 4 Reyes (Mex) 4 Fillol (Arg) 4 Koncilia (Aut) Conclusion based on the following points system: 1st place 5 points 2nd place 4 pts 3rd place 3 pts 4th place 2 pts 5th place 1 pt Categories “Fouls won” and “Fouls conceded” did not receive points Top Defenders 27 Passarella (Arg) 22 Krol (Ned) 16 Olguin (Arg) 15 Pirri (Spa) 12 Dietz (Ger) 12 Poortvliet (Ned) 11 Marcelino (Spa) 11 Scirea (Ita) 11 Oscar (Bra) 10 Vogts (Ger) 9 Chumpitaz (Peru) 8 R.Sara (Aut) 8 Pezzey (Aut) 8 Ayala (Mex) 8 Nelinho (Bra) 7 Trésor (Fra) 7 Gentile (Ita) 7 R.Rojas (Peru) 7 Antonio Dias dos Santos (Bra) 5 Kaltz (Ger) 5 Suurbier (Ned) 5 Brandts (Ned) 5 Szymanowski (Pol) 4 Navarro (Peru) 4 Obermayer (Aut) 4 Amaral (Bra) 4 Maculewicz (Pol) 4 Manzo (Peru) 3 Rüssmann (Ger) 3 Tarantini (Arg) 3 Lopez (Fra) 3 Burns (Sco) 3 Donachie (Sco) 3 Janvion (Fra) 3 Dhuoib (Tun) 3 Kaabi (Tun) Top Midfielders 16 Batista (Bra) 14 Causio (Ita) 14 Bonhof (Ger) 13 Prohaska (Aut) 12 Tardelli (Ita) 11 Larrosa (Arg) 11 Quesada (Peru) 10 Gallego (Arg) 10 Hickersberger (Aut) 9 Cuellar (Mex) 9 Dirceu (Bra) 9 Flohe (Ger) 9 Deyna (Pol) 9 Haan (Ned) 8 Zaccarelli (Ita) 8 San José (Spa) 8 Ardiles (Arg) 8 Velazquez (Peru) 6 Cubillas (Peru) 6 L.Larsson (Swe) 6 W.van de Kerkhof (Ned) 5 Jansen (Ned) 5 Nanninga (Ned) 5 R.van de Kerkhof (Ned) 5 Rivelino (Bra) 4 Michel (Fra) 4 Krieger (Aut) 4 Zico (Bra) 4 Masztaler (Pol) 3 Platini (Fra) 3 Nawalka (Pol) 3 Gemmill (Sco) 3 Gasmi (Tun) 3 La Rosa (Peru) 3 Kasperczak (Pol) Top Forwards 32 Kempes (Arg) 29 Rummenigge (Ger) 21 Mendonca (Bra) 18 Rensenbrink (Ned) 14 Rossi (Ita) 12 Juanito (Spa) 12 Bertoni (Arg) 12 Boniek (Pol) 12 Rep (Ned) 10 Lato (Pol) 10 Lubanski (Pol) 10 Oblitas (Peru) 9 Ortiz (Arg) 9 H.Sanchez (Mex) 8 Bettega (Ita) 7 Jordan (Sco) 6 Six (Fra) 6 D.Müller (Ger) 5 Rowshan (Iran) 5 Rocheteau (Fra) 5 Santillana (Spa) 4 Reinaldo (Bra) 3 Szarmach (Pol) 3 Dalglish (Sco) 3 Fischer (Ger) 3 Krankl (Aut) Goalkeepers 19 Fillol (Arg) 17 Naili (Tun) 15 Leao (Bra) 15 Quiroga (Peru) 7 Koncilia (Aut) 5 Zoff (Ita) 5 Miguel Angel (Spa) 4 Bertrand-Demanes (Fra) 2 Maier (Ger) 2 Reyes (Mex) 1 Tomaszewski (Pol) 1 Schrijvers (Ned) 1 Hellström (Swe) Overall 32 Kempes (Arg) 29 Rummenigge (Ger) 27 Passarella (Arg) 22 Krol (Ned) 21 Mendonca (Bra) 18 Rensenbrink (Ned) 16 Batista (Bra) 16 Olguin (Arg) 15 Pirri (Spa) 14 Rossi (Ita) 14 Causio (Ita) 14 Bonhof (Ger) 13 Prohaska (Aut) 12 Tardelli (Ita) 12 Juanito (Spa) 12 Bertoni (Arg) 12 Boniek (Pol) 12 Rep (Ned) 12 Dietz (Ger) 12 Poortvliet (Ned) 11 Marcelino (Spa) 11 Scirea (Ita) 11 Oscar (Bra) 11 Larrosa (Arg) 11 Quesada (Peru) 10 Vogts (Ger) 10 Gallego (Arg) 10 Hickersberger (Aut) 10 Lato (Pol) 10 Lubanski (Pol) 10 Oblitas (Peru)
Excellent job Greg, howeer my comment is that some % and total points did not mean much if we do not put the number of games next to them) Like some might get high % but they only played 1 good game, or in other hand some players got low points for they played less game.