Video embedded for awesomeness. Mario Balotelli's double put Italy in the Euro 2012 final against Spain, but where did it move him up to in the Match Impact Rating* standings for the tournament? Updated top ten below:
Player | Team | MIR | PTS/90 |
Giorgos Karagounis | GRE | 74.8 | 0.36 |
Mario Mandzukic | CRO | 67.8 | 1 |
Mario Balotelli | ITA | 65.4 | 0.81 |
Robert Lewandowski | POL | 65.2 | 0.33 |
Andriy Shevchenko | UKR | 59.9 | 0.94 |
Andy Carroll | ENG | 59 | 0.57 |
Dimitris Salpingidis | GRE | 56.6 | 0.88 |
Rafael van der Vaart | NED | 54.9 | 0.58 |
David Silva | SPA | 54.3 | 1.01 |
Nicklas Bendtner | DEN | 50.7 | 1 |
To see the full leaderboard, click here (1-32), here (33-66) and here (67-74, good news Galaxy fans, Robbie Keane isn't dead last anymore!). Discussion below the jump.
The last update was after the group stage so there are some new names on the leaderboard now, with Balotelli being one of the guys making a big splash for their team. Andy Carroll didn't play much for England in this tournament but is in the top ten. He was one of only two England players to rank in the top 25 (Joleon Lescott was the other at No. 25, 38.8). With the worst scoring chance percentage in the top ten (11.1%), David Silva slipped from No. 1 after the group stage down to No. 9 before the final. Andrea Pirlo saw his scoring chance percentage and fouls drawn per 90 minutes drop and he fell from No. 4 to No. 12.
For the final, here's how the teams breakdown in terms of players in the Top 25:
Spain (No. 9 David Silva, 54.3, No. 15 Cesc Fabregas, 47.9, No. 23 Fernando Torres, 41.3)
Vs.
Italy (No. 3 Mario Balotelli, 65.4, No. Andrea Pirlo, 49.6)
Here's how the teams breakdown in key stats:
Team | Spain | Italy |
Points/90 | 2.44 | 2.06 |
Goals/90 | 1.5 | 1.13 |
Scoring Chance % | 10.13 | 6.19 |
Fouls Drawn/90 | 17.44 | 15.38 |
Fouls Caused/90 | 12 | 14.63 |
Saves/90 | 2.06 | 3.38 |
Goals Conceded/90 | 0.19 | 0.56 |
So who do you like in the final, Spain or Italy?
*For a introduction to the Offensive Match Impact Rating, see our post on it here.