Also: If Germany have declared themselves the best team at the FIFA World Cup™ – and who would argue against them given their 13 goals from five games – then it is logical it should be one of their players taking pride of place at the head of the Castrol Index. Fitting the bill is their captain Philipp Lahm who had another outstanding game in the 4-0 demolition of Argentina on Saturday.
Lahm is a phenomenal performer who punches above his weight both on defensive duties and also when augmenting the attack, maintaining high standards at both ends of the field and in between as well. In a superb display from Joachim Low's team, who combine great skill and pace with a cohesive team spirit, the captain proved a shining light and it helped lift him to the top of the Index – an innovative system which uses the latest technology to objectively analyse and rank player performances and which is being used at the FIFA World Cup for the first time.
The Castrol experts awarded him high marks for his passing accuracy. In the five games he has played in South Africa, the Bayern Munich full-back has made a total of 347 passes, of which 278 have found their target – an outstanding strike rate of 80 per cent. Against Argentina he made 66 passes in all, 48 of which reached their intended target. While other defenders have a higher percentage they tend to be centre-backs who make easier, shorter passes. Lahm has also made eight clearances and lies equal 31st out of 344 players in the tournament who have made at least one clearance.