A new list revealing the top 10 players with the best percentage of man of the match awards per game over the last 15 years has emerged, and Lionel Messi leads the way by a distance.

Looking at data posted by statistics expert @ThePopFoot on X from across Europe’s top five leagues – England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France – Messi won an astonishing 324 man of the match awards in 628 games for Barcelona and PSG, meaning he was voted the best player on the pitch in 51.6 per cent of the matches he played.

He will not be able to add to his tally after moving to the US to play for David Beckham’s Inter Miami, but these numbers further highlight why he is an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and arguably the greatest player ever.

He takes second spot on this list, but has been left trailing in Messi’s wake, having won 176 man of the match awards in 612 matches for Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus – a percentage per game of 28.8. 

Lionel Messi was man of the match in over 50 per cent of the matches he played for Barcelona and PSG between 2009 and 2023

This puts him well clear of any other player in Europe’s top five leagues over the last 15 years

Cristiano Ronaldo is second on the list when taking into account his appearances for Man United, Real Madrid and Juventus, but his percentage per game is down at 28.8

Ronaldo is now playing in Saudi Arabia, and another star who has moved to the Middle East in the last 12 months has claimed the final place on the podium.

Brazilian playmaker Neymar won man of the match in 26.8 per cent of the games he played for Barcelona and PSG (90 out of 336 games) before joining Al-Hilal last summer. 

He is currently sidelined with a serious knee injury and is not expected to play again until next season.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (24.2 per cent) and Kylian Mbappe (24 per cent) complete the top five, before we move on to arguably the two best strikers in the world right now.

Erling Haaland is sixth in the rankings, having already won 39 man of the match awards at the age of 23.

He scored 52 goals across all competitions for Manchester City last term as they won the Treble for the first time in their history.

Haaland is followed by Harry Kane in seventh. The England captain has taken home 98 man of the match gongs in 463 appearances for Tottenham and Bayern Munich (21.2 per cent). 

Since moving to Germany in August, he has scored 28 goals in just 27 matches for Thomas Tuchel’s side.

Harry Kane is the only English player on the list after winning man of the match in 21.2 per cent of the game he has played in

Man City duo Erling Haaland (left) and Kevin De Bruyne (right) also both make the cut

He is also the second-highest goalscorer in Premier League history behind Alan Shearer, having netted 213 times in England’s top flight for Spurs. 

Two retired players sit in eighth and 10th in the shape of Arjen Robben (20.3 per cent) and Eden Hazard (19.2 per cent), and they are separated by City’s Kevin De Bruyne (19.3 per cent).

De Bruyne has recently returned to City’s starting XI after a serious hamstring injury and has picked up where he left off, registering a goal and four assists in four matches.

He has been the club’s standout player under Pep Guardiola for the best part of a decade, helping City win five league titles and the Champions League.