Alrick

Do Penalties Hurt Messi’s 86 Goal Record?

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a huge fan of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and not the biggest supporter of Lionel Messi. Recently, Zlatan has come out and tried to minimize the accomplishment of Messi breaking Gerd Muller’s record by scoring 86 goals in a calendar year by saying the following:

“I too would get 90 goals if I were given penalties as referees give them away to Barcelona.”

Approximately 16% (14 out of 86) of Messi’s goals came from the penalty spot in 2012. How does this percentage compare to the rest of the modern game? Let’s take a look at some totals for some of the best goalscorers so far in the 2012/2013 season…

With only one out of Messi’s 28 goals this season coming from the penalty spot, the statement by Ibrahimovic looks foolish. The big Swede should have checked his facts before making such a remark.

What is really surprising though is the high percentage of penalty goals for Falcao this season, a number which was at 45.5% until his five goal outburst yesterday. He already has scored off of six penalties this season, matching his entire total from the penalty spot last season (36 total goals scored last season, 16.7%). Take note, big spending clubs.

Cavani with already five penalties this season is also just one off of his mark from last season (6 penalties, 33 goals, 18.2%) and Ronaldo’s mark of 21.1% is actually pretty consistent with his percentage from last season (14 penalties scored, 59 goals, 23.7%).

One striker that really stands out as being underrated looking at these statistics is Stephan El Sharrawy, having scored 15 goals from open play (zero penalties) – a total more than Falcao, Cavani, Ibrahimovic, and Van Persie. Given the fact he is only 20 years old, he could really be a player to watch for the future. If he took penalties for Milan and had a penalty goal percentage on the level of a Cavani he could easily be on his way to a 40 goal season.

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In conclusion, with only 16% of Messi’s 86 goals coming from the penalty spot I would be hesitant to tarnish his record because the percentage is fairly in-line with some of the top scorers in the game today. Given the fact that 12 of Gerd Muller’s goals in his 85 goals were scored in a “fund raiser Cup” and he scored zero from the penalty spot, I’d say Muller’s 12 Cup goals and Messi’s 14 penalties essentially cancel themselves out.

Alrick

5 Things To Know About Marko Marin

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Today Chelsea officially announced their agreement to sign versatile midfielder/winger Marko Marin from Werder Bremen (rumored price around eight million Euros). Agreements announced before the transfer window and especially on a Saturday are always going to grab headlines, especially when it involves a player like Marin who was once regarded as one of the top prospects in the world.

So what kind of player is Marko? Here are 5 things to know about Mr. Marin…

  1. They call him the “German Messi” for a reason – No, not because he scores 50 goals a season or misses crucial penalty kicks, but because he is only 1cm taller than Messi at 170cm (5’7″), which is actually the exact same height as Juan Mata. However, height is not the only reason why they call him this, which leads into the next thing to know…
  2. He is a world-class dribbler – Ramires leads Chelsea this season with 41 successful take-ons of defenders in the Premier League, not even half as many as Victor Moses (89) who leads the league in this category. Marin will definitely be one player Chelsea can play in an attacking position who won’t be afraid to challenge defenders (he has 45 in only 16 starts this season and even has a section of his website devoted to dribbling).
  3. Injuries have taken their toll on Marin recently – The reason why Marin has only started 16 games for Werder Bremen this season isn’t because he lacks talent (believe me, Bremen need all the talent they can get) but because he has been sidelined SIX times this season with injuries. It’s a huge factor why Marin only has 1 goal and 5 assists this season for Bremen and why one needs to look at his entire time with Bremen to paint a clearer picture of his potential.
  4. Just because Marin goes down doesn’t mean he’s hurt – Marin has developed quite a reputation in the Bundesliga as being a diver, so much so that the dubious Goal.com even went as far as to rank diving as his best attribute. I know it’s sad that diving is becoming a “skill” some players have but I hope Marin is able to learn a thing or two from Chelsea players like Michael Essien and leave the diving to Ashley Young and Alexis Sanchez.
  5. The best bring out the best in Marin – The German has impressed with the national team and was brought to the 2010 World Cup despite being only 21 years old. Marin was coming off his debut (and still his best) season at Bremen before the tournament (6 goals, 14 assists), playing with Mesut Ozil and helping Bremen to a third place finish. After Ozil left for Real Madrid and was not adequately replaced Marin sometimes tried to do too much at times, which resulted in some selfish tendencies. Hopefully at a club like Chelsea he’ll revert back to playing his game and trusting the abilities of his teammates.

While I think the Marin signing is a step in the right direction and helps to address my concerns over Malouda’s abilities it’s likely Marin will be more of a spot player out left (the club will probably pursue other options here) and cover for Juan Mata (who has started 44 games this season) in a central creative role. Given his age and abilities at eight million Euros if he can stay healthy Chelsea may have scored themselves a great deal.

Alrick

Final Ballon d’Or vote percentages

Final Ballon d’Or votes: Messi 48%, Ronaldo 22%, Xavi 9%, Iniesta 6%, Rooney 2%, Suarez 1%, Forlan 1%, Eto’o 1%, Casillas 1%, Neymar 1%.