Bloomberg Sports Study Reveals Lionel Messi Was Football's Most-Skilled Player In '12-13

Barcelona's Lionel Messi was ranked as the most-skilled footballer in the world during the '12-13 season, according to Bloomberg Sports' first "Power Football 50" list unveiled Wednesday. The rankings provide a scientifically-based analysis that evaluates players on skills relevant to their respective positions and encompased the top five leagues in Europe. Messi received a score of 91.25 while Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo was second with a score of 91.16. Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery was third (89.27) followed by Borussia Dortmund's Marco Reus (89.10) and Juventus' Andrea Pirlo (88.62). This season, the strength of the Bundesliga became a popular topic, and the league's quality was well represented in the study as five Bundesliga players made it into the top 20. The rankings for defensive players were compiled using more than 100 types of actions, leading to roughly 1,000 to 1,500 data points for each match. Defensively, this means a left back is rated by calculations that reveal how efficiently he tackles, intercepts passes, and crosses the ball. Meanwhile, his fullback partner is analyzed on a different scale, with formulas that further focus on the player’s aerial ability and clearance rate. For attacking players, the emphasis is on a player’s efficiency in shooting, scoring, and passing. The numbers not only reflect how active an attacking player is, but also the location of a player’s shot, how his shots are assisted, and his ability to perform in adverse situations (starter/substitute, home/away, strength of opposing defense). For a complete list of the top 50, click here. For a complete explanation of the methodology behind the study, click here (BSports).