We all love an exciting player, a tricky winger who can dip a shoulder and beat a man.
There’s no better feeling than watching your wideman get on the ball and stride forward, full back nervously stepping backwards, hoping for a slice of luck. Passing is all well and good, but dribbling is an art form often underrated as it relies almost exclusively on the skill of the player involved. Passing can be tactical, a team approach based on drills performed on the training ground and coaching that brings the best out of a player.
Dribbling? It’s different. It’s a skill delivered with flair and panache to get you off your seat.
Of course, there is not a lot of point in players who dribble with no success. If a player can carry the ball and get a pass away, or a cross, or even beat a man, brilliant, but running into trouble can quickly make a player fall out of favour. That’s why we’ve selected dribble success from each of the three EFL divisions to look at today.
Which players have the best dribble success across the divisions?
The very best of the best is Harrogate’s Kayne Ramsay: the 23-year-old has a dribble success of 75.81%, the best across the divisions. That’s only just a little more than Kyle Walker-Peters in the Championship. The common denominator there? Southampton, where Ramsay was a trainee. In League One, Will Ferry comes out on top, with the 22-year-old having a 71.74% success rate.
It’s important to shout out Paul Smyth – not only is he fourth in the Championship for success, but he’s also in the top 20 for dribbles per 90 minutes.
However, the biggest shout goes to Fleetwood Town’s Junior Quitirna – fifth in League One in terms of success and a lofty seventh when it comes to dribbles per 90 minutes. Now, there’s a player who really gets you off your seat.
Here are the top five players with the most successful dribbles in each division.
Championship
Kyle Walker-Peters, Southampton, 74.55%
Yaser Asprilla, Watford, 65.85%
Ken Sema, Watford, 65.67%
Paul Smyth, Queens Park Rangers, 65.12%
Matt Phillips, West Bromwich Albion, 65.12%
League One
Will Ferry, Cheltenham Town – 71.74%
David Ajiboye, Peterborough United 71.7%
Harvey Vale, Bristol Rovers, 70.73%
Liam Bennett, Cambridge United, 70.51%
Junior Quitirna, Fleetwood Town, 67.11%
League Two
Kayne Ramsay, Harrogate Town, 75.81%
Saidu Khan, Swindon Town, 75.56%
Rio Adebisi, Crewe Alexandra, 74.55%
Ryan Barnett, Wrexham, 73.33%
D. Crowley, Notts County 71.88%
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