How The Prism ranks players
The Prism ranks every player against the players in his position in his own league, on four to eight measures that fit the role, and gives him one number from 0 to 100, his standing: the share of them he is ahead of. As of 8 November 2026, 1,314 players in Europe's top five leagues have played enough this season to be ranked.
The standing in five steps
One method for every player in the five leagues: every ranking on this site and every player in The Prism.
1His own position
Every player is in one of eight positions: goalkeepers, centre backs, full backs, defensive midfielders, central midfielders, attacking midfielders, wingers and strikers. He is ranked against the players in that position in his own league. Where a league has fewer than 20 of them, he is ranked against that position across all five leagues, never against a neighbouring one.
2Measures that fit the role
Each position is judged on four to eight measures, rates per 90 minutes and success rates rather than totals: duels won, pass completion, chances created, non-penalty goals. Team results and match ratings are left out, so a player is not ranked on how his team did.
3Fair to his club
Passing and ball-winning depend partly on how much of the ball a club has. For those measures a quarter of that effect is taken out: testing showed most of the link is the player's own skill, since good passers tend to join sides that keep the ball.
4Honest about samples
Each measure is pulled toward his group's typical figure by about five matches' worth, more for goals and big chances, and the standing as a whole toward 50 by his minutes: at 450 minutes it counts for half. To be ranked at all he needs 284 to 378 league minutes so far this season, a floor that rises with the season to 450.
5One number, 0 to 100
His place on each measure becomes a percentile within his group, the percentiles are combined with the weights below, and his standing is where that combination sits in the group: the share of his position he is ahead of, with 50 the middle. Beside it goes his place, such as 9th of 64 centre backs.
What each position is judged on
Each measure and what it counts for, out of 100.
Strikers
157 ranked across the five leagues this season.
The rankings
Wingers
176 ranked across the five leagues this season.
The rankings
Attacking midfielders
83 ranked across the five leagues this season.
The rankings
Central midfielders
191 ranked across the five leagues this season.
The rankings
Defensive midfielders
109 ranked across the five leagues this season.
The rankings
Full backs
206 ranked across the five leagues this season.
The rankings
Centre backs
286 ranked across the five leagues this season.
The rankings
Goalkeepers
106 ranked across the five leagues this season. The least certain position: no data says how hard a save was.
What it cannot see
- How hard a save was. There is no data on the quality of a shot, so a keeper's save rate is pulled hard toward the middle and keepers are the least certain position.
- Where a defender stood. Positioning and covering are invisible to match events, and a centre back at a dominant side has little defending to do, so the standing can undersell him.
- Pace and strength. Neither is measured, so neither counts.
How the method was chosen
Every measure and weight was tested on two full seasons of the five leagues. A measure counts for more when a player's place on it carries over from one season to the next, including for players who changed club, because then it describes the player rather than luck or his team. Measures of how busy a defence is, such as clearances and blocks, are left out: they say more about the team than the player.
Questions
Is the standing the same number everywhere?
Yes. Every ranking here, every player page and The Prism itself read the same standing, worked out from the same data.
Why is a player with more goals ranked below another?
The standing counts rates per 90 minutes rather than totals, against his own position, and goals are one measure of several. For strikers, non-penalty goals count for 35 of 100 and shots for 25; penalties are left out.
Why is a player missing from this season's rankings?
He has not played enough league minutes yet: 284 to 378 so far this season, rising to 450.
How often do the rankings change?
After every matchday. The data behind them is rebuilt every few hours, and each page says the day it was last updated.
Does it use expected goals or match ratings?
No. It uses what happened in the matches: goals, shots, passes, crosses, dribbles, duels, tackles, interceptions and saves, as rates and success rates.
See every player's standing in The Prism
Open any player in the five leagues for his place in his position, the measures behind it and every game he has played.