CIES’ most recent data findings have concluded that reported Liverpool and Tottenham target Paulo Dybala is the closest statistical match for Lionel Messi in Europe.
The Football Observatory created statistical profiles for over 7,000 players from 36 leagues, and as you can imagine, there aren’t many players who could measure up to Messi.
Interestingly though, it’s a fellow Argentine who is the nearest match for the PSG star, and to be honest, it’s not all that surprising to hear this.
Away from the analytics side of things, the comparisons between Messi and Dybala are obvious.
They’re both left-footed Argentines who are deadly from free-kicks who play in the role of a withdrawn attacker, from the offset you can see how Dybala is something of a Messi clone.
The stats also match up, and while Dybala may not be quite at the level of Messi, he’s the closest thing Europe has to offer.
Dybala may be available on a free transfer this summer as his Juventus contract enters its final few months, and it’s not hard to understand why the likes of Spurs and Liverpool are on alert.
Dybala, similarly to Messi, is brilliant in that false nine role, so he’d be a wonderful fit for Liverpool, while he could form a rather deadly front three in a 3-4-1-2 under Conte at Spurs.
Keep an eye on the Juventus star’s situation in the coming months.
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