CIES: Statisticians reveal Club Brugge's Onyedika is the best Super Eagles midfielder under pressure

The statisticians at International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) have revealed the midfielders with the best statistics for keeping the ball in high-pressure situations in 18 European top divisions, the Brasileirão and Mexico's Liga MX, with only one Nigeria international named in the top 100.

According to CIES, a player is considered under pressure when he is in possession of the ball and at least one opponent player nearby him is trying to either recover the ball or limit his options.

Based on data from the current season, statistics indicate that Club Brugge midfielder Raphael Onyedika is able to keep the ball in 85.5 percent of situations in which he was put under pressure.

The FC Ebedei product earned rave reviews from pundits and fans alike despite Club Brugge losing to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League opener on September 18.

Of the one hundred players rated, Onyedika is in 85th place, just behind Tottenham Hotspur star James Maddison (85.6 percent). 

However, the highest-ranked Nigeria-eligible player is actually K Beerschot VA’s Ryan Sanusi (87.8 percent), who features in the top 50.

Sanusi is the top ranked player in the Belgian Pro League, ahead of Etienne Camara (RSC Charleroi), Denis Odoi (Royal Antwerp) and Onyedika.

Overall, Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich is the best midfielder under pressure in 20 leagues worldwide and he  is followed by Torino's Samuele Ricci (92.5 percent), Tigres' Rafael Carioca (92.2 percent) and Real Madrid's Aurélie Tchouaméni (92.0 percent).

Onyedika has appeared in seven league matches in the new season, logging 478 minutes.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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