Go ahead, make your own Ultimate Football Player.
With the unmistakable hair of Carles Puyol, the eyes of Xavi, Lionel Messi’s dynamic left foot and the accuracy of Thierry Henry’s right, the explosive legs of Cristiano Ronaldo and the imposing height of Peter Crouch, the world’s ultimate performing football player was unveiled today in London, by Castrol EDGE and the Ivory Coast manager, Sven Goran Eriksson.
While he may look a little odd, the 6’7” Castrol EDGE Ultimate Performing Player can boast a transfer value of over £270 million and has a collection of unrivalled world-class football skills that would have top managers around the world clamouring to sign him.
Castrol used objective data and highly advanced technology to analyse the performance of over 2000 players in Europe’s top 5 leagues to reveal a shortlist of 10 whose footballing skills and attributes were deemed worthy enough to create the world’s most formidable footballer.
Each player that features was selected based on a unique performance insight, for example Peter Crouch’s height has allowed him to gain unrivalled aerial supremacy, winning 241 aerial duels last season, over 100 more than his closest rival.
In an average game, Argentine forward Messi makes between 1,000 and 1,500 twists and turns. His ability to move into space and score spectacular goals is unsurpassed – hitting 28 left-footed goals in the last 2 seasons, more than any other left-footed player in La Liga.
Xavi’s ability to pick out an unmarked team mate is well renowned, and no wonder when the Spaniard’s eyes use a peripheral vision equal to that of a fighter pilot. It’s this unsurpassed vision that led to 209 scoring opportunities in the past two seasons and mean that Xavi’s eyes feature in the Castrol EDGE Ultimate Performing Player.
The Castrol EDGE Ultimate Performing Player is made of carbon fibre and wax and took over 6 months to create by two former Madame Tussauds artists. Each life sized body part has been specially sculpted to the exact scale and look of the following players:
Height: Peter Crouch
Hair: Carles Puyol
Eyes: Xavi Hernandez
Chin: Paolo Maldini
Chest: Michael Ballack
Arms: Rory Delap
Hands: Julio Cesar
Legs: Cristiano Ronaldo
Left Foot: Lionel Messi
Right Foot: Thierry Henry
While the model’s body parts were chosen based on objective player performance data, Castrol is encouraging football fans who don’t agree with the players selected to have their say and log on to castrolfootball.com/upp to submit their own Ultimate Performing Player.
Castrol EDGE Ultimate Performing Player
WHICH PLAYERS FEATURE AND WHY EACH PLAYER WAS CHOSEN
Hair – Carles Puyol (Spain/Barcelona)
FC Barcelona’s inspirational captain lead his team to victory in more than 80% of the games he played in during the 2008-2009 season, a feat unrivalled by any other captain in Europe’s top 5 leagues. It is this shining example of leadership that gains him a place at the head of the Ultimate Performing Player
Height – Peter Crouch (England/Tottenham Hotspur)
Over the last two seasons the 6’ 7” striker’s aerial supremacy helped him to win 241 aerial duels, over 100 more than his closest rival. In the 2008-2009 season alone Crouch’s combined jumps equalled the height of over 27 double decker buses stacked on top of each other.
Eyes – Xavi (Spain/Barcelona)
Xavi’s ability to pick out an unmarked team mate is well renowned, and no wonder when the Spaniard’s eyes use a peripheral vision equal to that of a fighter pilot. It’s this unsurpassed vision that led to 209 scoring opportunities in the past two seasons and mean that Xavi’s eyes feature in the Castrol EDGE Ultimate Performing Player.
Chin – Paolo Maldini (Italy/AC Milan)
A one club man, Paolo Maldini spent his entire 24 year career at AC Milan, the club he made his debut for as a 16-year old apprentice. He retired at the end of the 2008-2009 season having played an incredible 647 games for Milan. His honours include 7 Serie A championships and 5 Champions League winners medals. For his unwavering commitment, Maldini’s chin features in the Castrol EDGE Ultimate Performing Player.
Chest – Michael Ballack (Germany/Chelsea)
Germany’s powerhouse midfielder, Michael Ballack, is represented in the model by its chest. During the Euro 2008 campaign, Ballack ran the equivalent of 80 laps around the outside of the Allianz Arena Stadium (home of Bayern Munich) for Germany. Each lap is 854 metres, meaning he covered more than 68km during the competition.
Arms – Rory Delap (Republic of Ireland/Stoke City)
Little known outside of UK, Rory Delap has one of Europe’s most powerful throw ins, each one has the initial velocity equivalent to that of an Olympic javelin. Delap’s long throws are as effective as corners for his Stoke City side, in the last two seasons, he’s used them to created a massive 21 scoring opportunities– 4 times more than his closest rival.
Hands – Julio César (Brazil/Inter Milan)
Brazilian César’s hand-eye reaction speed is faster than an electric current, enabling him to save 82% of shots on target that he faced during the 2008/09 season, the best ratio for any goal keeper in the top 5 European leagues. César’s hands are represented in the model.
Legs – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid)
Dead ball accuracy is just one of the reasons Ronaldo became the world’s most expensive player; he scored eight direct free kicks in the past two seasons for former team Manchester United, helping them to back to back league titles. On average a free-kick from the Portugal star will accelerate as fast as a Formula 1 car!
Left Foot – Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona)
In an average game, Argentine forward Messi makes between 1,000 and 1,500 twists and turns. His ability to move into space and score spectacular goals is unsurpassed – hitting 28 left-footed goals in the last 2 seasons, more than any other left-footed player in La Liga.
Right Foot – Thierry Henry (France/Barcelona)
Not only is Henry blessed with unbelievable speed, he has most accurate right foot in European football. During the 2008/09 season put an astonishing 64.04% of his shots on target.
While the model’s body parts were chosen based on objective player performance data, Castrol is encouraging football fans who don’t agree with the players selected to have their say and log on to castrolfootball.com/upp to submit their own Ultimate Performing Player.
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