After bagging another goal against Empoli on Wednesday night, Inter captain Mauro Icardi is beginning to establish himself amongst an elite group of strikers in Europe.
The Argentine scored the only goal of a 1-0 win in Tuscany, taking his taillight eight for the season in Serie A and helping the Nerazzurri to another success in an impressive season so far.
The numbers are impressive for ‘the bomber’. He has converted from 38.1 percent of shots this season, and his eighth goal came from shot number 21, an impressive tally for a man who struggled slightly to begin the season and was even benched.
Cristiano Ronaldo cannot even come close to these numbers. Despite scoring 14 goals, he has taken 95 total shots to do so, meaning a 14.7 percent goals to shots ratio. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi has recorded six goals from 47 shots, putting him at a 12.8 percent conversion.
Current capocannoniere frontrunner and Napoli star Gonzalo Higuain is similarly distant, while European elites Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robert Lewandowski have recorded percentages of 22.8 and 26.3 respectively.
Despite being so clinical and ruthless, it has caused many to question what Icardi’s numbers could be had he had as many shots and opportunities as the aforementioned strikers. For example, at the current rate of 0.38 goals per shot, Icardi would have recorded 36 goals this season if he had shot as many times as Cristiano Ronaldo.
The captain is going through a rich vein of form at the moment, having scored six in his last seven despite scoring just two from eight to start the season. Long may it continue if Inter are to mount a serious title challenge.
Source: Gazzetta dello Sport
