Stats Analysis: Europe's One-Footed Wonders

Some of the world's best players have been extremely reliant on their favoured foot over the years, with Lionel Messi joining a long line of greats who produce the majority of their magic with their left foot, and Robin van Persie doing the same in the Premier League - or is he?

Well when it comes to the Dutchman, who is renowned for his often exquisite but equally ferocious left boot and showcased it to full effect against Tottenham this weekend, he is more effective with his right than one might think. In fact, when it comes to conversion rates, Arsenal's talisman has netted 27% of his right footed attempts (10/37) compared to just 20% with his left (13/66).

However, there are plenty of players out there who can't rely as heavily on their usual standing leg, with WhoScored investigating the most one-footed shooters across Europe's top 5 leagues. To do so we have filtered out players to attempt fewer than 25 shots this season (roughly 1 per game), as well as all headed efforts for obvious reasons.

Premier League

Beginning in England, the most right-footed player to regularly shoot on sight is Ryan Taylor, who funnily enough has been fielded at left-back for much of the season. The versatile Newcastle man has mustered a weighty 37 shots this term, with just 1 (2.7%) coming from his clearly un-trusty and increasingly rusty left boot. In terms of more attacking players, QPR's Shaun Wright-Phillips has had a go with his left from 3 of an expensive 52 shots (5.8%), having failed to find the net this season with either peg.

When it comes to the opposite side of the coin, or body in this case, John Arne Riise is an unsurprising inclusion of those who are almost wholly left-footed. The experienced Fulham full-back has struck 35 shots this season but, like Wright-Phillips, has failed to see the net bulge, or torn open in the case of the Norwegian's strikes. Just 1 of his efforts has come from his right foot, while David Silva is another player who managers will constantly insist is shown onto his right side having attempted only 6 of his 67 efforts with that leg.

Serie A

Catania midfielder Sergio Almiron certainly isn't scared of shooting, with his right foot at least, firing in 41 shots with his favoured side compared to just 1 (2.4%) with his left. Iconic Roma frontman Francesco Totti is another who constantly avoids using his left foot despite his years of experience, attempting just 3 (5.7%) of 53 efforts with his weaker side this season. Giampaolo Pazzini has certainly struggled for confidence this season and certainly doesn't show any in his left foot having used it for just 3 of 44 efforts thus far.

When it comes to left-footed players in Italy, there are two who haven't put any faith in their right boot this season whatsoever, with Fiorentina's Vargas and Siena's D'Agostino having none of their respective 29 and 27 shots this season with that peg. Palermo's Abel Hernandez is a player who should possibly be more open to using his right having netted with his only shot from that foot this season having scored 3 from 26 with his favoured left in comparison.

La Liga

Like Vargas and D'Agostino in Italy, Atletico's Arda Turan has looked to use his favoured foot with every shot this season, with the Turkey international mustering 26 shots thus far without using his left once. Santander's Manuel Arana and Levante's Arouna Kone have also avoided using their weaker side, though perhaps unwisely having both netted with their left foot this season despite chalking up just 2 and 3 shots with it respectively.

There are some big names on the predominantly left-footed side, with in form Levante veteran Ruben Suarez leading a list including Giuseppe Rossi and Angel Di Maria. The former has 8 goals to his name this season, all with his left having struck 33 times with that foot compared to just once with his right. Rossi, who has been out since early in the season had attempted just 4.9% of his efforts with his right foot (2/41), while Di Maria has used his right for just 3 of his 34 shots thus far.

Bundesliga

When it comes to one-footed players in Germany's top-flight there are considerably less players who will entrust only their right foot compared to the other leagues, with Ryan Babel standing head and shoulders above the rest. The former Ajax and Liverpool man has had 41 shots with his right foot this season, scoring 4, compared to just 2 with his left. Dortmund winger Kevin Grosskreutz stands out having scored with 1 of just 4 shots with his left foot, though his dependence on his right has proven to be wise having struck 6 times from 31 efforts.

Gladbach's Juan Arango has had a superb season for the surprise package in German football, Gladbach, and his confidence is highlighted by a huge 62 shots from the left wing. The fact that only one of these has come from his right boot is pretty remarkable and puts him a distance ahead of the most feared left-foot in German football in this regard. That's right, Lukas Podolski's inclusion here is understandable given the sheer power he generates with his stronger side, scoring with 15 of his 50 shots with his left having attempted just 3 with his right all season.

Ligue 1

Finishing in France, and reigning champions Lille have their own champion, of sorts, when it comes to the most heavily reliant shooter on their right foot this season. Midfielder Florent Balmont has struck 28 shots this season, all with his favoured foot, and scored twice thus far. However, Balmont's new teammate Nolan Roux perhaps stands out amongst all the rest in this piece having attempted 67 shots this season, and unbelievably only used his left to do so once all campaign (1.5%).

Montpellier's Marco Estrada is enjoying a fine season for the shock entity in Ligue 1, though he refrains from using his right foot to shoot most often having done so with just 1 of a hefty 42 attempts from defensive midfield this season. Elsewhere, Lyon's Michel Bastos also avoids his right foot like the plague, mustering just 2 of 46 shots from his weaker side this season having proven effective enough with his left to net 6 times.