An advanced statistical breakdown of how soccer players celebrate

Soccer is a sport of creativity and artistry. Tactics and formations can be rigid on paper, when it gets to the field, the green grass is a canvas upon which sports’ greatest painters depict their frescos.

Like Luka Modric, for instance.

But while that stunner brought everyone to their feet, I’m most interested in what happens after the ball goes in the net.

If you’re unfamiliar with advanced soccer statistics, a popular one is the pass map. It’s pretty self explanatory, and shows where a players’ attempted passes are directed. Here’s how it explains why Uraguay struggled in its opener.

But I’ll use it as a simple way to show that while soccer is the beautiful game, its celebrations lack the creative brilliance one would expect.

Through the first week of play, where the top goal scorers in the tournament go when they make the net bulge. Cristiano Ronaldo (green), Phillipe Coutinho (yellow), Harry Kane (red), and Denis Cheryshev (white).

Heat maps are another tool statisticians use to visually display info. They show where possession concentrates.

Using this information listed above, I’ve developed a heat map to plot out the results of goal scorers’ destinations. They are listed below:

And here’s a few other goals to drive home the point.

The World Cup has been quite unpredictable so far, but its goal celebrations are anything but.