Lukaku recognised as the best overall player during the 2020/21 Serie A campaign

MILAN – After a season where he scored 30 goals in all competitions, Romelu Lukaku took on King status in the Nerazzurri ranks. And now, he’s been crowned King of Serie A. Indeed, he’s been recognised as the best player during the 2020/21 campaign. An MVP award in a Scudetto-winning year. It comes on a day when Nicolò Barella was recognised as being the best midfielder during the season just gone.

It was a campaign that saw Lukaku take centre stage, with the Belgian scoring 24 times in the league. 18 of these goals came from open play, while six came from the penalty spot. He netted 16 with his left, six with his right, one with his head and one with his chest. Romelu broke the deadlock in matches on nine occasions and also made a significant contribution in terms of assists. Indeed, in addition to his 24 goals, he set up a teammate to score eleven times, thus becoming the first player to finish a league campaign with at least 20 goals and at least ten assists since 2004.

The Lega Serie A highlighted the extraordinary nature of the 28-year-old’s season, with the Belgian also previously winning the MVP award for the month of February.

• Lukaku’s Technical Efficiency has constantly been in line with the Top European Players (95.1%).

• Lukaku’s athletic power was abundantly clear: an Average Physical Efficiency Index of 95.5%, peaking at 99%.

• Lukaku registered an Offensive Aggressiveness Index Score of 98%, a clear indication of just how high a tempo he played at

• Romelu, one of the best in the world at protecting the ball, helped bring out the best of his teammates thanks to his ability to create space (K-Solution 94%)

• The Belgian bagged 24 goals and set up a teammate to find the net on eleven occasions: he thus became the first player since 2004 to score at least 20 times and reach double figures in terms of assists.

MVP AWARDS FOR THE 2020/21 SEASON

• Best goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan)

• Best defender: Cristian Romero (Atalanta)

• Best midfielder: Nicolò Barella (Inter)

• Best striker: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)

• Best U23 player: Dusan Vlahovic (Fiorentina).

OVERALL SERIE MVP AWARD

This is the third season where Serie A has handed out awards to the players who have stood out the most. Lukaku is the first Nerazzurri man to be recognised as the best overall player. In 2018/19, Samir Handanovic was selected as the best goalkeeper, while Stefan de Vrij won the award for the best defender in 2019/20. This year, Lukaku has picked up the MVP prize and Barella has been recgonised as the best midfielder.

2018/19 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus) 2019/20 - Paulo Dybala (Juventus) 2020/21 - Romelu Lukaku (Inter)

(The classifications were drawn up using analysis provided by Stats Perform, which were created via data tracking recorded by Netco Sports. The rating system, patented in 2010 to K-Sport and scientifically validated, does not just consider statistics and technical prowess, but also positional data. As such, it provides analysis of crucial aspects of a player's performance - such as movement off the ball and therefore optimal movement - and their contribution to the technical and physical efficiency, which allows for an objective and qualitative evaluation of the performance. All games in Serie A TIM, the TIMVISION Cup and PS5 Supercup were factored into the final calculations.