One of the latest talents to emerge in Colombia is attracting the attention of top European clubs. The player in focus is Daniel Ruiz, who has been linked with the likes of FC Barcelona and Manchester City. Liga Portugal side Benfica also are said to have their sights on the player. The 21-year-old winger currently plays in the Colombian top flight for Millonarios FC, one of the best clubs in the country. Ruiz has become a regular starter for his current team after joining from second-tier club Fortaleza. We will now look at some of the stats to understand why this promising youngster is drawing interest from the big clubs.
Daniel Ruiz played 48 matches for Millonarios this season, scoring seven goals and assisting five. The above viz shows the stats of the player in comparison to the other players featured as left-attacking midfielders. We can observe that Ruiz ranks highly in attacking stats like shots and goal contributions and has excellent passing stats. Another area where Ruiz ranks highly is in attempting defensive duels.
A traditional winger who likes to assist
A left-footed player, Daniel Ruiz usually features on the left wing of the attacking midfield in a 4-2-3-1 formation. The benchmarking visual above shows that the player ranks third for xA per 90 minutes in the Colombian Primeira A. He averages 27.5 (78% accurate) passes, 2.7 key passes, and 1.7 (29% accurate) crosses per match. The shot assists viz above shows that the attacker creates a lot of chances from a variety of wide positions, with an xA of 15.18. His seven assists have come from passes attempted from various areas of the field, including crosses from corners.
Ruiz has added seven goals for his team, which exceeds his xG of 6.53. The above viz shows the shot map of the left winger this season. In terms of shooting stats, he has taken a significant amount of 92 shots for his team. He averages 2.21 shots per match with an accuracy of 41%. The player attempts most shots from the left side of midfield and also from dangerous areas in the penalty box. While most of his goals are from inside the penalty box, he can also score from long range. Ruiz has also attempted three penalty kicks, converting two of them.
What could be the youngster’s role at Benfica?
Benfica are currently cruising in Liga Portugal as they sit at the top of the table. They have shown extraordinary form this season, going on an unbeaten run with 12 wins and a draw from 13 matches. The Eagles are chasing their first league title in three years and are currently leading the charge. They could be willing to add more talent and depth to their attacking positions in their bid to reclaim the throne.
While David Neres is Benfica’s main man on the right side, the team lacks a proper left winger. Veteran Joao Mario starts in the left attacking midfield position in the line-up, with Julian Draxler and Chiquinho being utilised as squad players.
The addition of Daniel Ruiz will inject more youth and raw talent into the Benfica attack. He could assume the role of a traditional left winger and replace 27-year-old attacking midfielder Chiquinho, who is struggling for minutes. The viz above compares the performance of the two players in their respective leagues. It can be observed that Ruiz has superior stats to his counterpart in the majority of the attacking, possession, and defensive parameters. Besides, the young Colombian will have plenty of years ahead of him to realise his true potential at a decorated club like Benfica.
Daniel Ruiz could likely be on his way to a top European club from the Colombian top division. He is a technically gifted player with the vision and creativity to unlock defences. Even though scoring goals is not his strongest aspect, he displays attacking intent with shots from various angles. The 21-year-old could develop into a crucial member and future star at Benfica, should the club decide to move for him.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
