Leeds United teenager Ronaldo Vieira has performed better than could have been expected.
The superbly named Ronaldo Vieira scored a memorable late goal for Leeds United against Norwich City in their last match to give the Whites a 3-2 away win.
Vieira’s strike was his first for the club, a crucial moment in a breakthrough season for the youngster.
Leeds’ Ronaldo Vieira celebrates scoring their third goal with Luke Ayling
His goal matched the tally of goals from his predecessor last season, Lewis Cook, who netted just one in 43 league games.
Cook was sold in a highly unpopular move in the summer to Bournemouth, for an initial fee of £6 million, which could rise further.
Bournemouth’s Lewis Cook in action with Valencia’s Alvaro Medran
The reigning Football League Young Player of the Year was more than a goalscorer, but Ronaldo Vieira holds his own in several areas up against him.
| Season | Passing Accuracy | Won Tackles per game | Interceptions Won per game | Ball Recoveries per game | Touches per game | Shots on target per game | Key Passes per game | Goals | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ronaldo Vieira | 2016-2017 | 84% | 1.5 | 1.2 | 5 | 40.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1 | 10 | 564 |
| Lewis Cook | 2015-2016 | 79% | 1.49 | 0.91 | 6.05 | 52.28 | 0.23 | 1.07 | 1 | 43 | 3,657 |
Ronaldo Vieira outperforms Cook in a three key categories: Passing accuracy, tackles per game, and interceptions per game.
He has a way to go in other areas, with Cook totalling more ball recoveries per game, touching the ball more times, attempting a higher average of shots on targets.
Leeds United’s Ronaldo Vieira celebrates
The biggest improvement for Vieira to make is in terms of his creativity, where he averages 0.2 key passes per game compared to Cook’s 1.07.
This demonstrates Cook’s creativity and part of why Bournemouth shelled out to sign him, but Leeds United appear to have already replaced him with a top talent.
Vieira is playing his first games at Championship level and is likely to continue improving. His emergence has meant Cook’s sale has been an afterthought in the Whites’ so far successful campaign.
Leeds United’s Ronaldo Vieira scores the winning penalty in the shootout against Norwich
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