Fernando Torres better than Wayne Rooney; Jonny Evans better than Kaka

Castrol, the lubricants giant, has unveiled a new ranking system of the world's best players, billed as 'the world's first truly objective football rankings system.'

'Castrol has applied the same expertise they apply to the development of their oils to create the Castrol Rankings – using objective analysis and highly advanced technology to measure every pass, every tackle and every single move of over 2000 players and games every year,' claims Castrol in its press release, adding the claim that: 'It will, at last, draw a line under the age-old debate about who are the best performing players.'

• Manchester United all at sea as club resists economic downturn
• Liverpool to make Reina Premeir League's best paid goalkeeper

Liverpool's Fernando Torres is the English Premier League's top-ranked player, in fifth, while the top English player is Frank Lampard, in 14th. Manchester United's Wayne Rooney is ranked joint 31st with Liverpool's Yossi Benayoun, behind the likes of Florent Malouda and Luca Toni.

Any Manchester United fans worried that Rooney's surprisingly low position might be a reflection on their club can take solace in the fact that Jonny Evans - joint 75th with Rio Ferdinand - comfortably outperforms Real Madrid star Kaka and Manchester City's Robinho.

'Kaka is one of the biggest names not to feature towards the top of the Castrol Rankings with the Real Madrid star languishing in 85th place,' explains the company. 'The Brazilian did net 16 goals for AC Milan in 2008-09, but seven of those were from the penalty spot. And while he scored two league goals for Real Madrid in the first two months, including one penalty, he has only fired in five shots on target in six matches.

'Shots on target are essential when it comes to scoring points in the Castrol Rankings. Indeed, they are strongly associated with goals – the more shots on goal you get, the more goals you get. In the case of penalties, there is a 80% chance to score while that chance is lower in open play. This is why spot kicks are less rewarded than other types of goals, which explains Kaka's ranking.'

Cristiano Ronaldo, who has a personal endorsement deal with Castrol, is ranked in third place, behind Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi. "The Castrol Rankings is the ranking that every player wants to top," said Ronaldo on the release of the rankings. "If you can be number one on the Castrol Rankings there can be no arguments, as it is based on fact, not opinion. That's why I'm aiming for the number one spot – to prove I'm the best!"

Contact the author