November 30 – A superb start to life in Munich has seen England captain Harry Kane top a ranking of the best finishers in world football according to data from the CIES Football Observatory.
With 1.57 goals per 90′ and a conversion rate of 37% in relation to shots taken (an index of 0.533), the Bayern Munich’s centre-forward tops the list ahead of Feyenoord’s in-form Mexican striker Santiago Giminez places second with an index of 0.361, thanks to a prolific opening to the season scoring 16 Eredivisie goals in 13 games.
Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham and Braga’s Simon Banza are tied for third (0.355), with the former being the notably the only midfielder in the top section of the list, which acts as a testament to his outstanding potency in front of goal for the beginning of his Real Madrid career.
Also in the top 10 notably are Inter’s Lautaro Martínez (fifth), Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (seventh) and PSG’s Kylian Mbappé (tenth).
The CIES finishing index is calculated by multiplying the number of domestic league goals scored per 90’ with the conversion rate of shots taken. The result is adjusted by the sporting level of the matches played (as a percentage difference from the overall average).
Only players with more than 720 domestic league minutes in the current season as of 28/11/2023 are taken into account.
Fantastically, Bayer Leverkusen’s left-back Alex Grimaldo features on the list, just 0.003 behind RB Leipzig’s Lois Openda, who scored a first-half brace over Manchester City on Tuesday night, and 0.022 behind Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah.
Ballon d’Or runner-up Erling Haaland has dropped down the list despite opening the season with 14 Premier League goals in 13 matches after a subtle decline in potency since his rampant, record-breaking debut display last term for the Man City.
The top seven performers from the top 5 leagues are: Harry Kane (0.533), Jude Bellingham (0.355), Lautaro Martinez (0.341), Olivier Giroud (0.325), Erling Haaland (0.314), Kylian Mbappé (0.289) and a surprise inclusion of Wolves striker Hwang Hee Chan (0.262).
To see the full data click here.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1714372468labto1714372468ofdlr1714372468owedi1714372468sni@g1714372468niwe.1714372468yrrah1714372468