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.
According to the study, Messi tops the chart as the best forward and is followed by Bundesliga-based duo Arjen Robben and Bas Dost, the Mirror reported.
However, Portuguese international Ronaldo fell behind players like Oliver Giroud and Harry Kane as the Real Madrid forward is ranked 29th.
The research was held on the basis of players' key performance indicators (KPIs), which included rigour, recovery, distribution, take-ons, chance creating and shooting.
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