The CIES Football Observatory used Wyscout data on dribbling in domestic league matches over the last 365 days to compile a ranking of the best dribblers in the world according to an index combining the frequency and percentage of successful dribbles, as well as the sporting level of teammates and opponents.
Only footballers who have not yet turned 23 and have played at least 1,500 domestic league minutes were included.
Real Madrid’s Vinicius topped the list with a successful dribble every 15 minutes and 32 seconds, and a success rate of 50.3% in highly competitive matches.
His compatriot Angelo Gabriel (18) of Santos ranked second with even more impressive statistics, albeit in lower-level games: one successful dribble every 13 minutes and 56 seconds, with a 64.2% success rate.
Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala (20) rounded up the podium ahead of Ajax’s Mohammed Kudus (22) while another Real Madrid player, Rodrygo, made up the top five.
Players from 35 different leagues are in the top 100, with Spain’s LaLiga in first place (11 representatives), one more than the English Premier League and Argentina’s Primera Division.
Born on the 23rd of December 2004, Brighton’s Facundo Buonanotte (18) is the youngest player in the top 100, followed by Angelo Gabriel (born just two days earlier), Salzburg’s Israeli youngster Oscar Gloukh (19) and Velez Sarsfield’s Julian Fernandez (19).
Take a look at the full list and report here.
In a similar study of players aged 23 and older, the top-ranked dribbler was CSKA Moscow's Jorge Carrascal (24) of Colombia, who registered one successful dribble every 12 minutes and 14 seconds, with a success rate of 68.8%.
Some more familiar faces made up the top five players over 23 with Manchester City's Jack Grealish (27), Bayern Munich's Leroy Sane (27), PSG's Lionel Messi (35) and AC Milan's Rafael Leao (23) finishing in that order second through to fifth.
The CIES Football Observatory is a research group within the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES), an independent study centre located in Neuchatel, Switzerland. The CIES Football Observatory specialises in the statistical analysis of football.
