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The Top 10 Dribblers Since Opta Started Recording Stats

The Top 10 Dribblers Since Opta Started Recording Stats

The list is packed with all of the usual suspects...

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Lionel Messi and Eden Hazard are the two best dribblers in world football according to statistics.

Opta, the leading outlet for football-based data, have released the list of top ten from the point at which they started collecting stats.

And it's Messi who comes out on top with 1,880 take-ons completed - giving him an overall success rate of 57.2%. Hazard isn't far behind at all, however, boasing 57.2% after completing 1,200 take ons in that period.

Image: PA
Image: PA

Franck Ribery, well known for his mazy runs, finds himself in third after beating his opponent on 939 occasions, with Sergio Aguero in at four with 833 take ons.

Cristiano Ronaldo has to settle for fifth place, having completed 44% of his attempted take ons since advanced stats became a thing.

Joaquin, Hatem Ben Arfa, Andres Iniesta, Roberto Firmino and Neymar complete the list.

1. Lionel Messi - 1,880 take-ons completed (57.2%)
2. Eden Hazard - 1,220 take-ons completed (57.1%)
3. Franck Ribery - 939 take-ons completed (47.9%)
4. Sergio Aguero - 832 take-ons completed (46.6%)
5. Cristiano Ronaldo - 816 take-ons completed (44%)
6. Joaquin - 798 take-ons completed (50.9%)
7. Hatem Ben Arfa - 770 take-ons completed (50.6%)
8. Andres Iniesta - 739 take-ons completed (60.9%)
9. Roberto Firmino - 736 take-ons completed (56.8%)
10. Neymar - 734 take-ons completed (50.2%)

If you want to see some of Messi's very best take-ons/dribbles, Twitter user @LioMessi10EN put together a two minute clip where he just absolutely rinses any player that dared to try and take the ball, with Dani Carvajal, Antoine Griezmann, Fabinho, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale, Koke, Heung-Min Son and just some of the many victims.

So many players end up falling over the place and on their arses - thankfully we have the benefit of slow motion replays to appreciate how Messi makes world-class players look like they play for the Dog and Duck pub.

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: Football News, Eden Hazard, Sergio Aguero, Football, Franck Ribery, Neymar, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo