The rivalry between Lionel Messi andhas riveted football pundits and primary schoolchildren alike, fuelling endless debates over who is the greatest player of modern times – or ever.
The debate over who is best span out over the nine seasons they spent at rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid and reached a climax at last year’s World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo, 38, at the World Cup last year: a forward who ‘does one job’ brilliantly, said Graham.Graham, who did a PhD in theoretical physics at Cambridge before his move to Anfield, described being at the forefront of a revolution in football data over the past decade or so.Liverpool
As a result, analysts were increasingly influential in shaping training and player recruitment, where the focus is often value for money, he said.is the best player in Europe at the moment,” he said. “But unfortunately, financially, he’s out of Liverpool’s league. We’re looking for the best performing players per pound.”
Harry Kane: he has an impressive record, but at 29, will not offer good value for money, Graham said.He added: “From a data point of view, it’s magnificent the way Alex Ferguson constructed a team that was ageing just as he left [Manchester United]. It really did cement his legacy.” “If you see the big centre-half lumbering in to you, are you going to take a slight dive to turn that into a 75% chance?” he said. “This is not to encourage cheating, but to demonstrate that if you’ve got an opportunity to be tackled, having a penalty is by far the most valuable thing in football.”