09 Ene How to Identify the Most Influential Players in the Final Third of the Field: An Analysis of Passes and Receptions
Professional football coaches are always looking for new ways to optimize their team’s performance. The final third phase, where offensive plays are turned into goal-scoring opportunities, is key to competitive success. But how can we identify the most influential players in this critical phase of the game? From the Football Intelligence & Sports Performance Area at LaLiga, we have developed an index that measures players’ impact in the final third based on two key metrics: completed passes and passes received in the final third.
What Does the Index Measure and How Is It Calculated?
The index equally weights the number of completed passes in the attacking area and passes received in the final third. This approach allows us to evaluate a player’s overall performance in this phase of the game, identifying both those who create goal-scoring opportunities through passes and those who effectively position themselves to receive and finish plays. The index is normalized on a scale from 0 to 1, where a higher value indicates greater influence in the offensive phase.
Main Results: The Most Influential Players According to the Index and Passing Metrics
This study was conducted using data from LaLiga EA Sports players during the 2024/25 season up to matchday 18, considering only players with a minimum of 400 minutes played and excluding goalkeepers.
Top 5 by Index (Balanced Players)
- Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona) – 0.9751
- Mbappé (Real Madrid) – 0.9052
- Miguel (Girona FC) – 0.8960
- Rodrygo (Real Madrid) – 0.8711
- Raphinha (FC Barcelona) – 0.8662
Top 5 by Completed Passes in the Final Third (Creators)
- Rodrygo (Real Madrid) – 16.25 passes per match
- Miguel (Girona FC) – 15.59 passes per match
- Carvajal (Real Madrid) – 15.50 passes per match
- Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona) – 15.44 passes per match
- Raphinha (FC Barcelona) – 14.84 passes per match
Top 5 by Passes Received in the Final Third (Receivers)
- Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona) – 25.44 passes per match
- Mbappé (Real Madrid) – 23.59 passes per match
- Vini Jr (Real Madrid) – 22.07 passes per match
- Miguel (Girona FC) – 21.18 passes per match
- Raphinha (FC Barcelona) – 20.84 passes per match
Analysis by Positions and Quartiles
To deepen the study, an analysis was conducted by quartiles (of the index, completed passes, and received passes) and by the five new general position categories:
Quartile Distribution of the Index
- Q1 (Best performance in the index): Most of the players in Q1 are wide midfielders and forwards, confirming that these players are the most influential in the offensive phase. There is also some representation of full-backs, who stand out for their ability to join the attack.
- Q4 (Worst performance in the index): Dominated by central defenders, who have a primarily defensive role and little participation in the final third.
Quartile Distribution of Completed Passes
- Q1 (Highest number of completed passes): Wide midfielders, full-backs, and some central midfielders stand out, assuming a key role in creating plays in the final third.
- Q4 (Lowest number of completed passes): Dominated by central defenders and some forwards, who participate less in the build-up phase.
Quartile Distribution of Passes Received
- Q1 (Highest number of passes received): Wide midfielders and forwards dominate this quartile, confirming their role as primary targets for passes in the final third. Full-backs also have a good representation.
- Q4 (Lowest number of passes received): Central defenders are the most represented, which is consistent with their role in supporting the initial build-up and limited offensive projection.
Conclusion
This analysis provides a quantitative and qualitative view of players’ impact in the final third, using an innovative approach that combines the overall index with a detailed breakdown of player roles and new position categories. Identifying profiles of creators, receivers, and balanced players allows coaches to design more precise strategies and optimize their team’s performance in the offensive phase.