Resources & References

Football Statistics Glossary

Hover over any term to see its definition

Goals/90 Minutes (Gls/90)

Goals scored per 90 minutes of playing time. This normalizes goal output regardless of total minutes played, making it the fairest comparison metric for player efficiency across different playing times. A player with 10 goals in 900 minutes (1.0 goals/90) is more efficient than one with 15 goals in 2,700 minutes (0.5 goals/90).

Assists/90 Minutes (Ast/90)

Assists provided per 90 minutes of playing time. Measures a player's creative contribution and ability to set up teammates for scoring opportunities, normalized for fair comparison. This metric reveals which players are most effective at creating chances when on the pitch.

xG (Expected Goals)

A statistical metric that quantifies the quality of scoring chances a player has had based on factors like shot location, angle, body part used, and type of assist. An xG of 1.5 means a player had chances that a typical player would be expected to score 1.5 goals from. Comparing actual goals to xG measures finishing ability.

npxG (Non-Penalty Expected Goals)

Expected goals excluding penalty kicks, providing a clearer picture of a player's open-play finishing ability and shot creation without the influence of penalty situations. Since penalties are high-percentage chances, npxG better reflects a player's ability to create and convert chances in regular play.

xAG (Expected Assisted Goals)

Measures the quality of passes that lead to shots, indicating how likely those passes are to result in goals. A pass leading to a shot from 6 yards has higher xAG than one from 30 yards. This helps evaluate creative contribution beyond just assist numbers - a player with high xAG but low assists may be unlucky or have teammates with poor finishing.

Minutes Played (Min)

Total time on the pitch across all appearances during the season. Higher minutes generally indicate greater importance to team tactics, fitness levels, and manager trust. Key players often play 2,500+ minutes in a 38-game season.

G+A (Goals Plus Assists)

Combined total of goals scored and assists provided, representing a player's total direct contribution to team goal-scoring efforts throughout the season. This is a simple but effective measure of offensive impact.

90s

Number of full 90-minute matches played (total minutes ÷ 90). Used as the denominator for per-90 statistics. A player with 1,800 minutes has played 20 "90s".

MP (Matches Played)

Total number of matches a player appeared in, regardless of minutes played. A player could have 20 MP but only 500 minutes if used primarily as a substitute.

Starts

Number of matches where the player was in the starting XI. Comparing Starts to MP shows how often a player comes off the bench versus starting matches.

Squad Total

Collective team statistics showing overall performance metrics. Useful for comparing team-level efficiency and tactical approaches between different squads. Shows the combined output of all players.