Football
Ben Doak ranked alongside Mbappe, Salah and Vinicius Junior for attacking output
BEN DOAK is keeping some star-studded company this season when it comes to his offensive output.
The Liverpool and Scotland wonderkid is currently on loan at Middlesbrough and finds himself in the top five across Europe for one key attacking metric.
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Doak, 19, joined Boro on loan this summer and has so far made 10 appearances for the Championship outfit.
He scored his first senior goal at the end of September and has established himself as an integral part of Michael Carrick‘s side.
He has also provided three assists across the 10 games but it’s in another area where his stats are up there with some of the world’s BEST.
If there’s one thing the former Celtic starlet is known for then it’s his dribbling and the stats certainly back that up.
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So far this season Doak has amassed 39 carries into the penalty area (CPA), according to FBref.
That puts him fourth best among players in the top five leagues in Europe plus the Championship.
Indeed, he’s ranked HIGHER than Real Madrid megastar Kylian Mbappe and Liverpool hero Mohamed Salah.
Mbappe and Salah are both tied with 36 CPA and indeed they’ve played more minutes than the young Scot.
Doak has played 683 minutes of football this season compared to 937 for Mbappe and 963 for Salah.
The man Doak is level with for CPA, Viktor Gyokeres, has played 974 minutes for Sporting Lisbon.
In second place is PSG forward Bradley Barcola with 40 CPA and top of the rankings is Ballon d’Or runner-up Vinicius Junior with 44.
Barcola has played 746 minutes while Vini Jr has been on the park for 979 minutes.
Doak’s effectiveness with the ball at his feet works out at just over five dribbles into the opponent’s penalty area per 90 minutes.
By comparison, Vini Jr averages around four dribbles into the box per 90 and Salah just over three.
Doak will almost certainly add to his four Scotland caps this coming week when the national side take on Croatia on Friday and then Poland on Monday.
He started both games in the last round of fixtures against the Croats and Portugal but has yet to break his duck in dark blue.
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