Algorithm reveals who is better between Messi and CR7
The algorithm considers every action of the players with the ball, whether it is a goal, an assist, a pass or a goal opportunity created, evaluating the actual impact of the player during the match.
Jesse Davis, a professor in the science department of the Belgian University, said: "The number of goals is not the most important parameter, considering that in a match there are more than 1600 actions on average. Our computer considers each of them."
In particular, the Belgian researchers compared the numbers of the two samples through the 'Vaep' parameter. Result? Messi exceeds Ronaldo, given that while the Juventus star possesses a high value for every action player, he also enters fewer actions during the game.
On the other hand, the Barcelona captain has both a high value per share and a large number of them played. The average 'Vaep' of Messi in the last season was 1.21 per match, while that of Cristiano Ronaldo was 0.61. Hazard, who averaged 0.64, did better than CR7.