Ryan Giggs vs Bukayo Saka vs Eden Hazard Stats Comparison

Key Takeaways

• Eden Hazard leads in goals, assists, big chances created, and through ball passes.
• Ryan Giggs follows in assists, through balls, and pass accuracy.
• Saka trails in most categories but at just 22, has plenty of time to break the records.

The Premier League is home to some of the quickest transitional football, therefore, quick and technically gifted wingers that can move at speed and carry the ball have been a staple diet of fans around the globe that digest England’s top flight.

Since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs has made the most appearances of any winger in the league’s history, making 632 appearances for the Red Devils. The Welshman quickly became one of the division’s most feared widemen, using his athleticism to leave defenders in the dust and was an extraordinary ball carrier.

Another special footballer that the league was lucky to behold during his prime years was Belgian superstar Eden Hazard, who was simply unplayable at times, as he was virtually impossible to knock off the ball when he got running at full pace due to his ball control, speed, and underrated strength.

Fast-forward to the modern-day winger, and Arsenal’s star boy, Bukayo Saka, is at the forefront of this current crop, becoming virtually undroppable for both ‘the Gunners’ and England due to his abilities to retain possession, create chances, and cut in on his left foot to score goals. With that in mind, below are the stats comparisons of the three great wingers.

Shooting Stats

Eden Hazard tops the goal charts

When it comes to the goalscoring aspect of the game, all three of these wingers have been prolific throughout their careers, scoring vital goals for their sides.

Premier League great, Eden Hazard, had no problem putting the ball in the back of the net during his time at Stamford Bridge, scoring 85 goals in 245 appearances for Chelsea, making him the best goalscorer out of the three. Manchester United’s former high-flying winger, Ryan Giggs, has the worse goalscoring record per game than his competitors, hitting the back of the net 109 times in his 632 Premier League appearances.

However, due to the nature of the formations and style of play when the Welshman was at his peak, Giggs played more as a wide midfielder than a modern-day winger, which lends to why his goals per game are considerably lower. Meanwhile, Saka has had a phenomenal record for Arsenal regarding goals, scoring 48 times in 172 appearances, making 22 of them as a left-back during his early career.

As represented by the non-penalty goals, Saka and Hazard have both been prominent penalty-takers for their clubs, which does skew the numbers of goals they score, though, to be trusted from the spot so consistently displays an ability to be clinical under immense pressure. Ryan Giggs’ statistics on the Premier League website show that he has only three goals scored with his weak foot (right), though these stats may not be fully accurate due to less tracking during his time, while Saka has recorded 10 goals using his weaker side (right), and once again topping the chart is the Belgian, scoring 22 goals on his weak foot (left).

Hazard is also the most accurate of the wingers, recording a 62.69% accuracy on his shots, while Saka trails behind with 54.47% and Giggs falls behind with 45.66%. However, the former Manchester United man does have a substantially higher shooting success rate at 50.23%, in comparison to Saka’s 12.83% and Hazard’s 17.31%, indicating that the left midfielder was very clinical whenever he would shoot.

From longer distances, Hazard obtained the more lethal finish between them, scoring nine goals from outside the box during his time in the Premier League, with Saka having only netted five times from such occasions, and Giggs only three times. Giggs, though, was the only of the three players to have scored a free kick during his career, hitting the net in such instances twice.

Passing Stats

Eden Hazard is the best passer of the three

When considering the ability as a creator, all three of our candidates are specialists in the craft, all capable of carving out chances for their fellow attackers to finish off.

This is proven by the assist records of all three, as Giggs leads the way in terms of assists per game, notching 162 assists at a rate of 0.26 per game, while Saka and Hazard both follow in at joint second place, holding a record of 0.22 per match. The Arsenal man has set up 37 goals for his teammates, and Hazard has done the same on 54 occasions in blue.

When creating big chances for their sides Hazard is the frontrunner, carving out 68 big chances in his time in the Premier League, while Saka follows suit in second, creating 43. Giggs’ statistics are, again, more than likely affected by the inability to record such data during his playing years, holding a mere 28 big chances created.

Once again, in the through-ball department, Hazard is the pacesetter, recording 62 threaded passes, showcasing his abilities not only to dribble and create but to be involved in deeper plays too. Ryan Giggs follows the Belgian in second place per game played, threading 102 through passes, while Saka has only achieved 17.

Winning his first metric of the comparison, Saka is statistically the one who plays the most crosses out of the three, playing 686. Hazard ranks in second here on 571 crosses, and Giggs is in last place, racking up 1235. The accuracy of Giggs’ statistics is once again up for debate here, though, as he was a perennial crosser in his years. In terms of pass accuracy, Hazard would reach the target with his passes more often than his competitors, attaining a 84.91% success rate, while Saka trails on 81.48% and Giggs is in last place on 75.15%.

Verdict

Hazard leads the way among three greats

Regarding statistics as showcased above, Hazard is the formidable winner, finishing in top spot eight of the metrics that were measured, while Giggs comes in respectably at second with three. Despite competing in many of the metrics, Saka only amounted to one, but at the age of 22, he still has plenty of time to correct the score in this battle.

Saka is being compared to two of the greatest superstars in wide positions that the division has ever seen, with Hazard going down as one of the most sensational footballers to have ever graced the league, further proved by his dominance in this comparison.

All statistics provided by the Premier League website. Correct as of 30.08.24.