Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi has been declared as the best forward, while Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo was ranked 29th best striker in Europe's top five leagues, according to a new study.
The study, conducted by the CIES Observatory in Switzerland, ranked all players from the European football leagues, which included Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and La Liga in 2015.
The research was held on the basis of players' key performance indicators (KPIs), which included rigour, recovery, distribution, take-ons, chance creating and shooting.
According to the study, Messi tops the chart as the best forward and is followed by Bundesliga-based duo Arjen Robben and Bas Dost.
However, Portuguese international Ronaldo fell behind players like Oliver Giroud and Harry Kane as the Real Madrid forward is ranked 29th.
