CASTROL EDGE RANKINGS

Release date: 13 January 2012

The Castrol EDGE Rankings rate player performance in the top five European leagues over the last 12 months, to give fans the most accurate view of who are the world’s top performing players. This month we look back on the top performers in the top five European leagues throughout 2011 and also the in-form players with UEFA EURO 2012™ just around the corner.

TOP PERFORMERS

Lionel Messi (1st) was the top performer in the top five European leagues in 2011, according to the Castrol EDGE Rankings. The Barcelona star scored 31 goals and assisted another 16 in just 35 league appearances in 2011. He was also the top scorer in the Champions League with 12 goals in as many games, helping his side to their fourth title in this competition. Uncatchable in the Castrol EDGE Rankings, he was also uncatchable on the pitch: no player completed as many dribbles in the top five European leagues and Champions League.

Meanwhile, Robin van Persie (4th) was the top performer in the Premier League in 2011, according to the Castrol EDGE Rankings. The Arsenal striker netted 35 goals in 37 games, one goal short of the Premier League goalscoring record in a calendar year held by Alan Shearer.

In Italy, Antonio Di Natale (13th) took the spoils, according to the Castrol EDGE Rankings. The Udinese striker netted 28 goals in 35 games and last season’s Capocannoniere already has 10 in this season’s Italian top flight. In the Bundesliga Mario Gomez (2nd) outshone everyone else in 2011, according to the Castrol EDGE Rankings. The Bayern Munich striker scored a league-high 32 goals. In the process, he became the fifth youngest player to reach the 100 goals milestone in Bundesliga history, at the age of 25 and nine months, following his hat-trick against St-Pauli last May.

Finally, Loïc Rémy (37th) was on top of the charts in France, scoring 17 goals and delivering five assists. A real powerhouse in the air, no player scored more headed goals than Rémy in the top five European leagues in 2011.

TOP CLIMBER

The top climber in the top 10 is Arjen Robben (10th). Bayern’s Dutch attacking midfielder only played 22 league games in 2011 but scored 16 goals and delivered nine assists, a better goal involvement rate than any other player in the Bundesliga. Holland head-coach Bert van Marwijk will be praying he can stay fit ahead of preparations for UEFA EURO 2012™.

ONE TO WATCH

One player to follow as we lead up to UEFA EURO 2012™ is Valencia goal machine Roberto Soldado (23rd). According to the Castrol EDGE Rankings, the forward, who has never started a game for Spain, is Valencia’s top performer over the last 12 months and has scored more league goals than any other Spanish player across the top five European leagues in the last year (24).

CASTROL EDGE PERFORMANCE OF THE MONTH

Lyon striker Bafetimbi Gomis (145th) won the Castrol EDGE Performance of the Month, courtesy of his four goals against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, which earned him 2,380 points – he was the seventh player in the history of the competition to net a quadruple.