Who are the calmest players under pressure? Research reveals the coolest customers in the Premier League
The best footballers are able to leave nerves at the door - but who are the Premier League's best under pressure?
The ability to perform under pressure is a defining feature of a top-class footballer.
When that last-minute chance drops or a stoppage-time penalty is awarded, the best players will have ice running through their veins and dispatch the ball with the minimum of fuss.
But who are the coolest customers in the Premier League? Who are the ones who have proved that they can shrug off the kind of high-pressure scenarios that would give us mere mortals sleepless nights?
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A new study by Casino.org has analysed the past three Premier League seasons and crunched a host of numbers and data including goals and assists per minute, percentage of match-winning and stoppage time goals, penalty accuracy, and shot conversion rate to find out who the ‘coldest’ Premier League players are.
The top five contains some familiar faces, as few fans would be surprised to see the likes of Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland make the grade.
Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez is a somewhat eyebrow-raising player in second place thanks to his penchant for scoring winning goals, while top of the list is a young player who quickly established a reputation for being cool under pressure - and even has the nickname and celebration to boot.
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That’s because Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer - or ‘Cold’ Palmer if you like - has seen off all-comers to come out top on this survey. The 22-year-old’s 100 per cent penalty success rate has helped him achieve top spot, as has the face that 32 per cent of his goals are match-winners.
Have a look at the full top ten that features players from the past three Premier League seasons below.
The coldest players in the Premier League ranked
Rank | Player | Minutes Per Goal | Minutes Per Assist | Match Winning Goals | Stoppage Time Goals | Penalty Accuracy | Shot Conversion Rate | Cold Football Star Score (/10) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cole Palmer | 141 | 259 | 32% | 14% | 100% | 10% | 8.67 |
2 | Darwin Núñez | 187 | 341 | 40% | 15% | 0% | 13% | 8.56 |
3 | Erling Haaland | 85 | 411 | 29% | 8% | 93% | 31% | 7.67 |
4 | Mohamed Salah | 143 | 246 | 30% | 2% | 71% | 21% | 6.95 |
5 | Riyad Mahrez | 214 | 228 | 25% | 13% | 89% | 21% | 6.83 |
6 | Harry Kane | 141 | 553 | 32% | 4% | 90% | 24% | 6.67 |
7 | Roberto Firmino | 137 | 275 | 0% | 6% | -% | 30% | 6.45 |
8 | Gabriel Martinelli | 248 | 447 | 37% | 11% | 100% | 20% | 6.22 |
9 | Bukayo Saka | 223 | 351 | 34% | 2% | 91% | 22% | 6.17 |
10 | Matheus Cunha | 202 | 314 | 7% | 7% | 100% | 20% | 5.83 |
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For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.