Bundesliga
Why is Luka Jovic so good?
Luka Jovic is on his way to Real Madrid after a prolific season in front of goal for Eintracht Frankfurt. bundesliga.com looks back on the numbers behind one of the most exciting young forwards in Europe...
The Serbian striker has become one of Europe's most coveted forwards and a look at his exploits for the Eagles makes it clear why. In 32 Bundesliga games in 2018/19, he scored 17 goals and produced six assists. Add in the 10 in 14 UEFA Europa League outings and you get the drift. However, those are just the raw statistics which do not tell the full story of just how brilliant the 21-year-old is.
Unlike many strikers, who play to one particular strength, Jovic is the all-round real deal – a defender's proverbial nightmare – or in the words of team-mate Filip Kostic: "unbelievable". Dig deeper into his stats and you will see why. Of his 25 total Bundesliga goals, 10 have come with his left foot, 10 with his right while five have been headers.
Watch: Luka Jovic's Bundesliga Mixtape!
He scores with every 4.4 shots, converting almost three quarters of his big chances, and it is no surprise that five of his goals have come on the counter-attack – something he often instigates and finishes with his top speed of 21 mph matching that of Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
With an average of 6.1 miles covered per game – including 21 sprints – it is no wonder defenders struggle to keep up with him, and why he rips holes in opponents' rearguards – thus helping former partners in crime Ante Rebic and Sebastien Haller produce similarly startling scoring statistics.
More often than not, defenders only have one option: commit a foul. Indeed, of his 56 attempted dribbles, Jovic has won 25 times and been fouled on 29 occasions, and his average of 38.6 touches per game is only further evidence of how integral Jovic was to Frankfurt's game under Adi Hütter.
Watch: Who is Luka Jovic?
"He's been the talk of Europe" said Frankfurt CEO of sport Fredi Bobic of Jovic, who initially joined the club on a two-year loan deal from Benfica in summer 2017 before putting pen to paper on a permanent deal through to 2023 on 17 April. "He's explosive and a real threat in front of goal, and will be a big miss - but it's a big transfer for us.
"We're proud of how we've been able to help him on his way, and we wish Luka the very best in Madrid."