CIES : Rangers left-back Bassey ranked best 'air blocker playmaker' in Scottish Premiership

In its latest weekly post, statistics expert CIES Football Observatory conducted a study to determine the best performing outfield players in 32 European leagues.

Players were classified into fifteen technical profiles and ranked according to their performance level with respect to both teammates and opponents, their playing time, as well as their team and league sporting strength.

Rangers left-back Calvin Bassey has been recognized as the Scottish Premiership's best air blocker playmaker which celebrates a player's ability to play it out from the back.

Overall, Manchester City central defender Aymeric Laporte topped the table for air blocker playmaker in Europe.

This season, Bassey has forced his way into the starting lineup of Rangers under two different managers Steven Gerrard and Giovanni van Bronckhorst, making 26 appearances in the Scottish top-flight - all of which he started.

The Rangers number 3 finally got international recognition last month, making his Super Eagles debut off the bench against Ghana in Kumasi before he was handed his starting debut in the second leg in Abuja.

In the Russian Premier League, CSKA Moscow's Chidera Ejuke ranked highest in the shooter infiltrator category, 2007 U17 World Cup winner Rabiu Ibrahim (SK Slovan Bratislava) was rated the best filter man playmaker in Slovakia and Spartak Trnava winger Yusuf Bamidele claimed the allrounder target man prize.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel