STATS GUIDE

FOOTBALL STATS EXPLAINED

What every number in a player comparison means, from goals per game to expected goals, and how to read them without getting fooled by the totals.

Match data covers the 2011/12 season onwards. Detailed stats such as shots, passes and duels come from matches with full per-match data, so for older seasons they can cover fewer games than goals and appearances. To see these numbers in action, open a comparison like Haaland vs Mbappé or compare any two players.

The views

The tabs at the top of the comparison change which matches every number below counts.

Career: Every club and international match on record, added together.
Club: Club football only: league, domestic cups and European competition.
International: Matches for the national team.
Champions League: UEFA Champions League matches only, the closest thing to a like-for-like test against elite opposition.
Latest Season: The most recent season either player has data for, for current form.

Output

Goals: Goals scored, penalties included. Own goals don't count.
Assists: The final pass or touch before a teammate scores.
Goal Contributions (G+A): Goals plus assists: the simplest measure of how many goals a player is directly involved in.
Appearances: Matches played, whether starting or coming off the bench.
Minutes: Total time on the pitch. The fairest base for comparing output, since appearances off the bench count the same as full games.
Goals / Game and G+A / Game: Goals, or goals plus assists, divided by appearances.
Minutes / Goal: How many minutes on average between goals. Lower is better.
Average Rating: The average of the player's match performance ratings, which score every action in a game. Higher is better.

Shooting

Shots: Every attempt at goal, whether on target, off target or blocked.
Shots On Target: Shots that would have gone in without a save: the goalkeeper had to stop them, or they scored.
Shot Accuracy: Shots on target as a percentage of all shots.
Shot Conversion: Goals as a percentage of shots: how often a shot ends up in the net.
Expected Goals (xG): How many goals a player's chances would produce for an average finisher, based on where and how each shot was taken. Scoring more than your xG suggests elite finishing; fewer suggests missed chances.
xG On Target (xGOT): Expected goals measured after the shot, taking account of where it was placed in the goal. It rewards hitting the corners.
Big Chances Missed: Clear opportunities, usually one against one or close range, that didn't result in a goal.

Creativity and passing

Key Passes: Passes that lead directly to a teammate's shot, whether or not it goes in.
Expected Assists (xA): The expected goals value of the shots a player's passes set up: chance creation that doesn't depend on the teammate finishing.
Big Chances Created: Passes that set up a clear scoring opportunity.
Passes and Accurate Passes: All passes attempted, and those that reached a teammate.
Pass Accuracy: Accurate passes as a percentage of all passes. Defenders and deep midfielders usually score higher, as their passes carry less risk.
Progressive Carries: Runs with the ball that move it significantly towards the opponent's goal.

Dribbling and duels

Dribbles Attempted and Successful Dribbles: Attempts to take on an opponent with the ball, and those that got past them.
Dribble Success: Successful dribbles as a percentage of attempts.
Duels and Duels Won: One-against-one contests for the ball, on the ground or in the air, and how many the player won.
Duel Win Rate: Duels won as a percentage of all duels.
Fouls Drawn: Times the player was fouled: a sign of how hard they are to stop.

Defending and discipline

Tackles: Challenges that win the ball, or knock it away, from an opponent in possession.
Interceptions: Passes cut out by reading the play.
Blocks: Shots or passes blocked with the body.
Dribbled Past: Times an opponent beat the player with a dribble. Lower is better.
Fouls Committed, Yellow Cards and Red Cards: Fouls given against the player, and the cards they received.

Goalkeeping

Saves: Shots on target the goalkeeper stopped.
Goals Conceded: Goals let in while on the pitch. Lower is better, though it depends heavily on the defence in front.

Per 90 minutes

Per 90 numbers divide a total by minutes played and scale it to a full match. They are the fairest way to compare a regular starter with a player who comes off the bench or has missed time, and the profile radar is built from them.

Goals, Assists and G+A per 90: Output for every full match's worth of minutes.
Shots, Key Passes and Successful Dribbles per 90: How often a player shoots, creates and beats a man per match.
Duels Won and Tackles + Interceptions per 90: Defensive work rate, scaled to a full match.

Scouting report and profile

Attacking, Technical, Tactical, Defending and Creativity: Scouting ratings for each side of a player's game, drawn on a radar so both players' shapes can be compared at a glance.
Ability Rating: An overall scouting rating out of 200.
Potential: How much better the player is expected to become. Most relevant for young players.
Scouting Role: The kind of player scouts see them as, which is more specific than their listed position.
Injury Risk: A scouting estimate of how likely the player is to pick up injuries, based on their history.
Market Value: An estimate of the transfer fee the player would command today, not what was actually paid.