Clinical Cavani: The stats behind El Matador’s Ballon D’Or nomination

Edinson Cavani

The announcement of the Fifa 2013 Ballon d’Or nominees provided a welcome addition to the illustrious cast who have made the shortlist in the history of the competition since it was merged with the Fifa Player of the Year in 2010. Edinson Cavani becomes the third different European striker in the past three years to be put forward for the award and joins his international striker partner Luis Suarez on the 23-man shortlist.

Who is Edinson Cavani?

The Paris Saint-Germain striker, formerly of Napoli, is a very different proposition to his Swedish forward partner Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The once Palermo hitman is extremely softly spoken and reticent to speak about his immense quality; when recently asked what he thought his key attributes were in an interview with PSGTV he declined to talk about his strength, ability in the air or movement around the area, instead focusing on his battling qualities and desire to win. A media-savvy answer if ever there was one.

The truth is that the 26-year-old, born in Salto, is a man at the peak of his powers. After three hugely successful years in Napoli, where he helped turn the Sicilian team into genuine title contenders and regular Champions League attendees with 78 goals in 104 appearances, he moved to cash-rich Parisians citing his excitement for the project being created at the club. Since his move he has scored six goals in nine appearances.

Honours this year

Edinson is probably one of the least qualified nominees this year in terms of major honours, alongside his Uruguayan team-mate Suarez, but a top scorer award in Serie A is not to be sniffed at and given PSG’s current unbeaten form, another Ligue 1 title seems almost inevitable.

Key stats

So what makes Edinson so special? Well goals, obviously. But it’s more than that; Cavani seems to thrive on the biggest stage, with his best performances in recent years coming in the Champions League. The 6ft tall powerhouse has 20 goals in 28 Champions League appearances, a far greater ratio than his domestic record. He has been pivotal to PSG’s destruction of Group C thus far, recording a better pass completion, goals to games ratio and shot accuracy in the elite competition than in Ligue 1.

Does he deserve his nomination?

In a word, yes. The fact that Cavani has been nominated despite not being the best striker for his club or country speak volumes of his talent. His all-round ability and freakish physique make him a terrifying proposition for any defence.

Cavani’s Champions League goals this season

Can he win it?

In a word, no. Cavani has been one of European football’s elite strikers for a few years now but is way behind the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of goal-getting and honours. He will be proud of his nomination, and rightly so, but for now he still remains in the shadow of “Ibra” at PSG, who has also been put forward for the prize.