Stats study proves Messi is among Europe's elite dribblers but Neymar isn't

When it comes to dribbling there have been some remarkable figures posted in Europe's top five leagues this season.

Numerous players immediately spring to mind when thinking about the best players at going past an opponent, with Lionel Messi, Neymar and - more recently - Adama Traore chief among them.

It comes as no surprise then, to find out that all three rank highly in terms of successful take ons per 90 minutes this season, but who among Europe's top five leagues can lay claim to being among the elite dribblers in football?

Well, to find out we've ran the numbers in terms of how frequently a player beats his man compared to their overall success rate from total dribble attempts, with a whole host of interesting findings.

Firstly, it's important to say that every player to feature here does so because they complete dribbles with impressive frequency. Indeed, we've only analysed the 165 players to have made 15 or more appearances that have gone round an opponent at least two times per 90 minutes this season.

However, among that data set there is a huge disparity in terms of both quality and quantity of dribbles, picking out ten players of interest, starting with the trio aready mentioned.

Messi, Neymar and Traore all rank among the top five players for successful dribbles per 90 minutes this season - along with Sofiane Boufal (the most at 6.28) and Allan Saint-Maximin. It is, however, the Wolves star that shines brightest when it comes to overall success rate of the quintet.

The bulldozing Spaniard has completed 6.25 of 8.43 dribble attempts per 90 (74.2 per cent), with Messi's figures at 5.62 of 7.76 (72.4 per cent) and Neymar's at 6.13 of 10.09 (some way back on 60.8 per cent). In fact, the Brazilian's success rate is below the average (62.1 per cent) of the 165 players analysed.

For context, for Neymar to complete as many dribbles as Traore has managed this season (144) at their current respective success rates, the PSG star would have to attempt 43 more than the Wolves flyer.

Even lower on the scale in terms of success rate are three of the top young players on the continent right now. Indeed, Kylian Mbappe, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford are all exceptional talents but the percentage of times that they dribble past an opponent from overall attempts certainly leaves plenty of room for improvement.

On the face of it, Mbappe in particular has completed an impressive 3.27 dribbles per 90 minutes this season. However, a success rate of just 51.4 per cent is undeniably meagre. It's marginally down on that of Jadon Sancho (52.2 per cent), who has completed fewer per 90 (2.94), while Rashford is inferior in both regards.

The Manchester United star has enjoyed his finest club season to date, of that there is little doubt, but could undoubtedly pick and choose when he attempts to dribble with more care. His 2.1 successful dribbles per 90 looks decent on paper but the 22-year-old has failed with more of his take-on attempts than he has completed (49.4 per cent).

The difference in quality of dribbling between the aforementioned forwards covered is pretty stark, but what of the best midfielders?

There are certainly a handful of high-profile middle men that excel when it comes to outmaneuvering their opponents, with Barcelona's Arthur an expert in that regard. The Brazilian has been utilised relatively sparingly this season, starting just 12 of 16 LaLiga appearances, but in his time on the pitch has displayed superb agility and balance.

The 23-year-old has been unsuccessful with just three of 32 dribble attempts, giving him the best success rate of the 165 players analysed at a whopping 90.6 per cent. His frequency (2.59 per 90) is lower than the average (2.84) of said players, however, with a Premier League pair really standing out in terms of exceeding both averages (frequency and success).

The first is Tottenham's Tanguy Ndombele, who has undeniably endured a frustrating debut season in North London. Singled out for criticism by manager Jose Mourinho earlier in the year, while the Frenchman has thus far failed to deliver on his club record price tag, one aspect of his game that hasn't underwhelmed has been his dribbling, competing 3.63 of 4.58 attempts per 90 (79.2 per cent).

Meanwhile, across London at Chelsea, Mateo Kovacic has managed what Ndombele would hope to do next season and bounced back from a relatively unspectacular first campaign in England. The Croatian has been one of the Blues' star performers this time around, with his ability to drive forward under pressure a huge asset. Kovacic has completed 3.69 of 4.28 dribbles per 90 (86.3 per cent), and can unquestionably claim to be among the top dribblers in Europe.

His figures are very similar to those of Bayern maestro Thiago, whose quality is also often underrated. The Spaniard's elegance both in his passing and dribbling game allows him to make the game look effortless, and he certainly eases past opposition players, completing 3.62 of 4.16 attempts per 90 (87 per cent).

There's no doubt that every player analysed in this study is more than capable of beating their man but when it comes to the very elite, there is a big difference between those that dribble often and those that do so with a real level of success.