Fellaini is the 12th best player in Europe!

According to a recent ‘top 50 players in Europe’ list produced by Bloomberg Sports, Everton’s Marouane Fellaini is rated 12th.

Methodology

BSports developed an objective analysis that creates a performance rating for players, and compares those players to others at their position. The advanced analysis covers greater than 100 types of player actions, leading to roughly 1,000 to 1,500 data points for each European match. Evaluating the data, BSports shift to analysing players based on their core responsibilities on the field. The ratings are updated continuously, allowing for player performance to be tracked on a weekly basis.

Defensively, this means a left back is rated by calculations that reveal (among other things) how efficiently he tackles, intercepts passes, and crosses the ball. Meanwhile, his fullback partner is analysed on a different scale, with formulas that further focus on the player’s aerial ability and clearance rate.

For attacking players, the emphasis is on a player’s efficiency in shooting, scoring, and passing. The numbers not only reflect how active an attacking player is, but also take into account the location of a player’s shot, how his shots are assisted, and his ability to perform in adverse situations (starter/substitute, home/away, strength of opposing defense).

Finally, BSports advanced scores avoid the perception that these events occur in a vacuum. Once a player’s score is determined based on multiple data points throughout the match, it is then calibrated to the relative scores of others in his position. This means that a player’s score is effectively determined not just by his total amount of actions, but also by the scale in which he outperformed others at his position. For example, if Lionel Messi scores three goals on a weekend, but five other players throughout Europe also scored three goals, Messi’s overall performance will be seen in the context of his fellow attackers, and his numbers will be adjusted accordingly.

All told, the BSports Power Football Top 50 is the most advanced analysis of individual players, and an objective method towards evaluating players across different leagues. The 2012-2013 season certainly provided plenty of great individual candidates, but only BSports top 50 players made the cut. See the list below.