European Football Shooting Analysis

Glossary of Statistical Terms

The following definitions apply to the shooting statistics used across both the Real Madrid and PSG datasets. Some metrics (marked with ⭐) appear only in the PSG dataset, which includes additional advanced columns.

Gls — Goals

Goals scored or allowed during the season. Does not include own goals.

Sh — Shots Total

Total shots taken by the player. Does not include penalty kicks.

SoT — Shots on Target

Shots on target — shots that would have gone into the goal if not saved. Does not include penalty kicks or shots that hit the post/crossbar.

SoT% — Shots on Target %

Percentage of shots that are on target. Minimum .395 shots per squad game to qualify as a leader. Shots on target do not include penalty kicks.

Sh/90 — Shots per 90 Minutes

Total shots divided by 90-minute equivalents played. Normalizes for playing time so players with fewer minutes can be fairly compared. Minimum 30 minutes per squad game to qualify as a leader.

SoT/90 — Shots on Target per 90

Shots on target per 90 minutes played. Minimum 30 minutes per squad game to qualify as a leader. Shots on target do not include penalty kicks.

90s — Full Match Equivalents

Number of full 90-minute games played. A player who played 45 minutes in one match and 45 in another has 1.0 "90s". Used to normalize rate statistics.

G/Sh — Goals per Shot

Goals divided by total shots. Measures raw finishing efficiency. Minimum .395 shots per squad game to qualify as a leader.

G/SoT — Goals per Shot on Target

Goals divided by shots on target. Indicates how often a player converts when they get a shot on target. Minimum .111 shots on target per squad game to qualify. Shots on target do not include penalty kicks.

PK — Penalty Kicks Made

Penalty kicks successfully converted during the season.

PKatt — Penalty Kicks Attempted

Total penalty kicks attempted, whether scored or missed.

Pos — Position

Player's primary position(s). GK = Goalkeeper, DF = Defender, MF = Midfielder, FW = Forward. Players with dual roles (e.g. FW,MF) list primary position first.

⭐ Dist — Average Shot Distance

PSG dataset only. Average distance (in yards) from which the player takes shots. Measured from the point of contact to the center of the goal line. A key variable for analyzing how proximity relates to scoring efficiency.

⭐ xG — Expected Goals

PSG dataset only. The probability that a shot will result in a goal, based on historical data for shots taken from similar positions, angles, and match situations. An xG of 0.30 means a 30% chance of scoring. Used to measure shot quality independently of outcomes. Data provided by Opta.

⭐ xG/Sh — Expected Goals per Shot

Derived metric. Expected goals divided by total shots. Higher values indicate that a player's shot locations generate better-quality chances, regardless of actual outcomes.

Bibliography & Data Sources

All data used in this analysis was sourced from the following platforms. Statistics represent performance in La Liga (Real Madrid) and Ligue 1 (PSG) during the 2025-2026 season.

Primary Data Sources

FBref — Real Madrid Stats

Comprehensive football statistics database used for Real Madrid's full shooting table including all standard and per-90 metrics.

FBref — PSG Stats

Source for PSG's full shooting table including standard metrics, shot distance (Dist), and expected goals (xG) powered by Opta data.

FotMob — Player Pages

Used for individual player stat breakdowns including seasonal shot maps and per-game averages (e.g. Vitinha season shot map used in PSG analysis).

Yahoo Sports

General football news and supplementary statistics used for contextualizing seasonal performance.

Club & League Information

Real Madrid Official Website

Official club information, squad details, and match reports.

PSG Official Website

Official club information, squad details, and coach quotes (including Luis Enrique's quote on shot distance).

La Liga — Official Site

League statistics and standings for La Liga 2025-2026.

Ligue 1 — Official Site

League statistics and standings for Ligue 1 2025-2026.

Methodology Notes

Data Collection

All statistics were collected from FBref, FotMob, and Yahoo Sports during the 2025-2026 season. Real Madrid data represents performance through 22 full match equivalents (90-minute games). PSG data covers 19 full match equivalents in Ligue 1.

Penalty Kicks

All shot statistics (Sh, SoT, SoT%, Sh/90, SoT/90) exclude penalty kicks unless otherwise noted. This isolates open-play shooting ability and prevents penalty takers from appearing artificially efficient.

Minimum Thresholds

Rate statistics (SoT%, G/Sh, G/SoT) require minimum playing time thresholds to qualify as statistically meaningful leaders. Players must have at least 0.395 shots per squad game (for SoT% and G/Sh) or 0.111 shots on target per squad game (for G/SoT) to qualify.

Expected Goals (xG)

xG data in the PSG dataset is provided by Opta and reflects the quality of shot opportunities based on historical conversion rates from similar positions and contexts. xG values are listed per shot (xG/Sh) in the analysis tables for easier comparison across players with different shot volumes.

EUROPEAN FOOTBALL SHOOTING ANALYSIS 2025-2026