The Most Balls Recovered in UCL Fantasy (Before R16)

Balls recovered. A great source of points in the Champions League fantasy football. There were too many questions about this new feature when it was introduced because we had no data about it from previous seasons.

It was hard to predict, how it was going to influence players’ points. Now we know that some players are better than others at balls recovered and that they offer a stable route to getting fantasy points.

Most Balls Recovered per match in UCL Fantasy 2023/24

Table of players that were best at balls recovered in the current season before the start of Round of 16. We calculated the average balls recovered per match, so the number of matches played does not influence the results.

Name	Team	Position	Balls recovered per match	Balls Recovered	Matches
Hummels	Dortmund	DEF	9.5	57	6
Kim	Bayern	DEF	9.2	46	5
Mario Gila	Lazio	DEF	9	18	2
Sánchez	Galatasaray	DEF	8.75	35	4
Otamendi	Benfica	DEF	8.33	50	6
Diogo Leite	Union Berlin	DEF	8.17	49	6
Vavro	Copenhagen	DEF	8	48	6
Terzić	Salzburg	DEF	8	16	2
Pavlović	Salzburg	DEF	7.83	47	6
Abdülkerim Bardakcı	Galatasaray	DEF	7.5	45	6
Casemiro	Man United	MID	7.5	15	2
Škriniar	Paris	DEF	7.17	43	6
Hakan Çalhanoğlu	Inter	MID	7	28	4
Gvardiol	Man City	DEF	7	21	3
Rúben Dias	Man City	DEF	6.8	34	5
Alderweireld	Antwerp	DEF	6.8	34	5
Patric	Lazio	DEF	6.75	27	4
Carter-Vickers	Celtic	DEF	6.75	27	4
De Vrij	Inter	DEF	6.75	27	4
Torreira	Galatasaray	MID	6.67	40	6
Tomori	Milan	DEF	6.67	40	6
Boscagli	PSV	DEF	6.6	33	5
Benito	Young Boys	DEF	6.6	33	5
Wieffer	Feyenoord	MID	6.5	39	6
Fernando	Sevilla	MID	6.5	26	4
Bondar	Shakhtar Donetsk	DEF	6.5	26	4
Matviyenko	Shakhtar Donetsk	DEF	6.4	32	5
David Carmo	FC Porto	DEF	6.25	25	4
Merino	Real Sociedad	MID	6.2	31	5
Marquinhos	Paris	DEF	6.2	31	5
Lukeba	Leipzig	DEF	6.17	37	6
Bidstrup	Salzburg	MID	6.17	37	6
Zubeldia	Real Sociedad	MID	6.17	37	6
Vermeeren	Antwerp	MID	6	36	6
Medina	Lens	DEF	6	36	6
Coulibaly	Antwerp	DEF	6	36	6
Traoré	Real Sociedad	DEF	6	30	5
Kaan Ayhan	Galatasaray	DEF	6	30	5
Knoche	Union Berlin	DEF	6	18	3
Zubimendi	Real Sociedad	MID	5.83	35	6
Hancko	Feyenoord	DEF	5.83	35	6
Zerrouki	Feyenoord	MID	5.8	29	5
Jelert	Copenhagen	DEF	5.8	29	5
Ronald Araújo	Barcelona	DEF	5.75	23	4
Gocholeishvili	Shakhtar Donetsk	DEF	5.75	23	4
Kimmich	Bayern	MID	5.67	34	6
Boey	Galatasaray	DEF	5.67	34	6
Di Lorenzo	Napoli	DEF	5.67	34	6
Witsel	Atlético de Madrid	MID	5.67	34	6
Livramento	Newcastle	DEF	5.67	17	3
Doekhi	Union Berlin	DEF	5.67	17	3
Camara	Young Boys	DEF	5.6	28	5
Ramos	Sevilla	DEF	5.6	28	5
Upamecano	Bayern	DEF	5.6	28	5
Morato	Benfica	DEF	5.6	28	5
Schlotterbeck	Dortmund	DEF	5.5	33	6
Hakimi	Paris	DEF	5.5	33	6
Trippier	Newcastle	DEF	5.5	33	6
Amenda	Young Boys	DEF	5.5	22	4
António Silva	Benfica	DEF	5.5	22	4
Christensen	Barcelona	DEF	5.5	22	4
Ryerson	Dortmund	DEF	5.5	22	4
Koundé	Barcelona	DEF	5.5	22	4
Trauner	Feyenoord	DEF	5.5	22	4
Raum	Leipzig	DEF	5.4	27	5
Goretzka	Bayern	MID	5.4	27	5
Geertruida	Feyenoord	DEF	5.33	32	6
Niasse	Young Boys	MID	5.33	32	6
Aursnes	Benfica	MID	5.33	32	6
Diks	Copenhagen	DEF	5.33	32	6
Alaba	Real Madrid	DEF	5.33	16	3
Savić	Atlético de Madrid	DEF	5.33	16	3
Camavinga	Real Madrid	MID	5.25	21	4
Bensebaini	Dortmund	DEF	5.2	26	5
Koke	Atlético de Madrid	MID	5.2	26	5
Frankowski	Lens	DEF	5.17	31	6
X. Schlager	Leipzig	MID	5.17	31	6
Dragović	Crvena zvezda	DEF	5.17	31	6
Ankersen	Copenhagen	DEF	5.17	31	6
Dalot	Man United	DEF	5	30	6
Ramalho	PSV	DEF	5	30	6
Taylor	Celtic	DEF	5	30	6
Djiga	Crvena zvezda	DEF	5	30	6
Danso	Lens	DEF	5	30	6
Saliba	Arsenal	DEF	5	30	6
Niakaté	Braga	DEF	5	25	5
Mazraoui	Bayern	DEF	5	20	4
Maguire	Man United	DEF	5	20	4
Keita	Antwerp	DEF	5	15	3
Piątkowski	Salzburg	DEF	5	15	3
Mijailović	Crvena zvezda	MID	4.83	29	6
Lerager	Copenhagen	MID	4.83	29	6
Calabria	Milan	DEF	4.83	29	6
Garcia	Young Boys	DEF	4.83	29	6
Gudelj	Sevilla	MID	4.83	29	6
Hartman	Feyenoord	DEF	4.83	29	6
Natan	Napoli	DEF	4.83	29	6
Nacho	Real Madrid	DEF	4.83	29	6
Scales	Celtic	DEF	4.83	29	6
Bruno Guimarães	Newcastle	MID	4.83	29	6
Pepe	FC Porto	DEF	4.8	24	5
A. Rrahmani	Napoli	DEF	4.8	24	5
Henrichs	Leipzig	DEF	4.75	19	4
José Fonte	Braga	DEF	4.75	19	4
Varane	Man United	DEF	4.75	19	4
João Neves	Benfica	MID	4.67	28	6
Falk	Copenhagen	FOR	4.67	28	6
Schär	Newcastle	DEF	4.67	28	6
Muñoz	Real Sociedad	DEF	4.67	28	6
Gosens	Union Berlin	DEF	4.67	28	6
Eustáquio	FC Porto	MID	4.67	28	6
Gabriel	Arsenal	DEF	4.67	28	6
Juan Jesus	Napoli	DEF	4.67	14	3
Le Normand	Real Sociedad	DEF	4.6	23	5
Amrabat	Man United	MID	4.6	23	5
Juranović	Union Berlin	DEF	4.6	23	5
Schouten	PSV	MID	4.6	23	5
Gradit	Lens	DEF	4.5	27	6
Wijndal	Antwerp	DEF	4.5	27	6
L. Hernández	Paris	DEF	4.5	27	6
Dedić	Salzburg	DEF	4.5	27	6
Azarov	Shakhtar Donetsk	DEF	4.5	18	4
Nazaryna	Shakhtar Donetsk	MID	4.5	18	4
Reijnders	Milan	MID	4.33	26	6
Laimer	Bayern	MID	4.33	26	6
Rüdiger	Real Madrid	DEF	4.33	26	6
Joelinton	Newcastle	FOR	4.25	17	4
Rodri	Man City	MID	4.25	17	4
Marušić	Lazio	MID	4.2	21	5
Zambo Anguissa	Napoli	MID	4.2	21	5
Al Musrati	Braga	MID	4.2	21	5
Baidoo	Salzburg	DEF	4.2	21	5
João Cancelo	Barcelona	DEF	4.17	25	6
IB Hwang	Crvena zvezda	MID	4	24	6
Augusto	Inter	DEF	4	24	6
Rakitić	Sevilla	MID	4	24	6
Teze	PSV	DEF	4	24	6
Rice	Arsenal	MID	4	24	6
Gourna-Douath	Salzburg	MID	4	20	5
Acerbi	Inter	DEF	4	20	5
Lascelles	Newcastle	DEF	4	20	5
Lauper	Young Boys	MID	4	16	4
Fran García	Real Madrid	DEF	4	16	4
Walker	Man City	DEF	4	16	4
Lindelöf	Man United	DEF	4	16	4

Data source: UEFA Player Stats

Most Balls Recovered in UCL Fantasy 2022/23

Table of players that were best at balls recovered in the last season. We calculated the average balls recovered per match, so the number of matches played does not influence the results.

Name	Team	Position	Balls Recovered Per Match	Balls Recovered	Matches
Hincapie	Leverkusen	Defender	9	45	5
Kondogbia	Atlético de Madrid	Midfielder	8.67	26	3
Otamendi	Benfica	Defender	8	72	9
Ramos	Paris	Defender	7.88	63	8
Mechele	Club Brugge	Defender	7.75	62	8
Balerdi	Marseille	Defender	7.67	46	6
Savić	Atlético de Madrid	Defender	7.67	23	3
Tuta	Frankfurt	Defender	7.57	53	7
Sundgren	M. Haifa	Defender	7.5	30	4
Hasebe	Frankfurt	Midfielder	7.25	29	4
Fofana	Chelsea	Defender	7.2	36	5
Perić	Dinamo Zagreb	Defender	7.17	43	6
Šutalo	Dinamo Zagreb	Defender	7.17	43	6
Thiago Silva	Chelsea	Defender	7.13	57	8
Álvarez	Ajax	Midfielder	7	42	6
Pavlović	Salzburg	Defender	7	42	6
Kjær	Milan	Defender	7	42	6
Bondar	Shakhtar Donetsk	Defender	6.67	40	6
Koulibaly	Chelsea	Defender	6.57	46	7
Tomori	Milan	Defender	6.5	65	10
Rabiot	Juventus	Midfielder	6.4	32	5
Alonso	Barcelona	Defender	6.4	32	5
Seiwald	Salzburg	Midfielder	6.33	38	6
Verratti	Paris	Midfielder	6.29	44	7
Uribe	Porto	Midfielder	6.29	44	7
Süle	Dortmund	Defender	6.25	50	8
Kalvach	Viktoria Plzeň	Midfielder	6.17	37	6
Gonçalo Inácio	Sporting CP	Defender	6.17	37	6
Alexander-Arnold	Liverpool	Defender	6.14	43	7
N'Dicka	Frankfurt	Defender	6.13	49	8
Di Lorenzo	Napoli	Defender	6.1	61	10
António Silva	Benfica	Defender	6.1	61	10
Rodri	Man City	Midfielder	6	72	12
Kim	Napoli	Defender	6	54	9
Romero	Tottenham	Defender	6	42	7
Dier	Tottenham	Defender	6	42	7
Tah	Leverkusen	Defender	6	36	6
Jorginho	Chelsea	Midfielder	6	36	6
Seck	M. Haifa	Defender	6	36	6
Reinildo	Atlético de Madrid	Defender	6	36	6
Kossounou	Leverkusen	Defender	6	30	5
Hummels	Dortmund	Defender	6	24	4
Pepe	Porto	Defender	6	24	4
Sow	Frankfurt	Midfielder	5.88	47	8
Mišić	Dinamo Zagreb	Midfielder	5.83	35	6
Gvardiol	Leipzig	Defender	5.83	35	6
J. Timber	Ajax	Defender	5.83	35	6
Lobotka	Napoli	Midfielder	5.8	58	10
Lundstram	Rangers	Midfielder	5.8	29	5
Rrahmani	Napoli	Defender	5.71	40	7
Kimmich	Bayern	Midfielder	5.67	51	9
Emre Can	Dortmund	Defender	5.57	39	7
Akanji	Man City	Defender	5.55	61	11
Rúben Dias	Man City	Defender	5.5	66	12
Stepanenko	Shakhtar Donetsk	Midfielder	5.5	33	6
Lavi	M. Haifa	Midfielder	5.5	33	6
Vavro	Copenhagen	Defender	5.5	22	4
Florentino	Benfica	Midfielder	5.4	54	10
Orbán	Leipzig	Defender	5.38	43	8
Dedić	Salzburg	Defender	5.33	32	6
Jenz	Celtic	Defender	5.33	32	6
Danilo	Paris	Midfielder	5.29	37	7
Thiaw	Milan	Defender	5.25	21	4
Sands	Rangers	Midfielder	5.25	21	4
Grujić	Porto	Midfielder	5.25	21	4
Bassey	Ajax	Defender	5.17	31	6
Acerbi	Inter	Defender	5.08	61	12
Jakić	Frankfurt	Midfielder	5	40	8
Olivera	Napoli	Defender	5	40	8
Juranović	Celtic	Defender	5	30	6
Andrich	Leverkusen	Midfielder	5	25	5
Danilo	Juventus	Defender	5	25	5
Eric García	Barcelona	Defender	5	20	4
Meunier	Dortmund	Defender	5	20	4

Data source: UEFA Player Stats

Most Balls recovered in UCL Fantasy 2021/22

Table of players that were best at balls recovered in the 2021/22 season. We calculated the average balls recovered per 90 minutes, so the number of minutes played did not influence the results.

Player	Balls recovered	Minutes played	Balls recovered per 90
Gvardiol	38	334	10.24
Solet	35	328	9.6
Capaldo	29	281	9.29
Kounde	46	450	9.2
Fernando	50	540	8.33
Reinildo	75	816	8.27
Akanji	41	450	8.2
Fabinho	73	849	7.74
L. Hernandez	49	572	7.71
Meunier	41	484	7.62
Thiago Silva	64	757	7.61
Pique	33	393	7.56
Balanta	33	407	7.3
Casemiro	74	914	7.29
Otamendi	63	810	7
Onguene	34	437	7
Sule	40	515	6.99
Pepe	27	349	6.96
De Light	48	627	6.89
Hendry	41	540	6.83
Tsimikas	26	344	6.8
Goretzka	35	466	6.76
Matviyenko	27	360	6.75
Bennacer	28	376	6.7
Felipe	35	472	6.67
Konate	53	720	6.63
Hummels	26	358	6.54
Witsel	34	471	6.5
Pavard	55	764	6.48
Tomori	30	418	6.46
Van Dijk	58	810	6.44
Militao	76	1076	6.36
Upamecano	46	660	6.27
Seiwald	45	649	6.24
Kondogbia	40	578	6.23
Bastoni	46	666	6.22
Gilberto	49	715	6.17
Kante	29	427	6.11
Dias	45	664	6.1
Zaidu	26	389	6.02

Most Balls recovered in UCL Fantasy 2019/20 and 2020/21 season

Player	19/20 Ball recovered per 90	20/21 Ball recovered per 90
Klostermann	8.78	11.25
Upamecano	8.31	10.2
Barrios	8	9.36
Blind	Not Available	9.3
Wober	8.33	9.3
Casemiro	6.91	9.1
Mukiele	Not Available	8.59
Fabinho	Not Available	8.51
Hummels	9.88	8.32
Mazraoui	Not Available	8.23
Kristensen	Not Available	8.2
Alcantara	8.52	8.08
Djimsiti	Not Available	7.75
Cancelo	Not Available	7.46
Akanji	Not Available	7.45
Toloi	Not Available	7.44
De Vrij	8.17	7.33
De Roon	6.24	7.25
D. Carlos	Not Available	7.16
C. Mata	Not Available	7.08
Marquinhos	4.64	7
TAA	Not Available	6.91
Sule	Not Available	6.91
Savič	Not Available	6.88
Lenglet	6.62	6.81
Jorginho	7.21	6.74
Danilo	Not Available	6.71
Kanté	Not Available	6.69
Pepe	Not Available	6.67
Ulmer	Not Available	6.67
Deli	7.83	6.51
T. Silva	7.67	6.44
Junuzovic	7.83	6.22
F. De Jong	Not Available	6.08
Alaba	Not Available	6.05
Van Dijk	9.72	0

How balls recovered influence players’ points?

Centrebacks and defensive midfielders are gaining a big portion of points from this feature. That makes some centrebacks much more appealing than more expensive attacking fullbacks. And there are some really cheap defensive midfielders who outscored premium mids just because of the balls recovered, too.

We think it really changes the dynamics of our teams. Players with big balls recovered potential have a “higher floor” of points. For example centre back like Otamendi may end up match with 4 points with no clean sheet and with 6 balls recovered (which is pretty common for some players). Imagine what happens when they add a clean sheet to that. Huge amount of points.

These kinds of players offer stability in their points outcome because we don’t have to hope for attacking returns. On the other hand, their output is limited, their “points ceiling” is lower than the points ceiling of attacking players – especially in the case of defensive midfielders. You will get balls recovered points, clean sheet points and that’s it.

A tip for your UCL squad

So how could you use it in your fantasy team? We think you should choose one really cheap defensive mid to your UCL fantasy squad – great price for a stable outcome of 4-5 points per match. Then pick at least 2 or 3 centre-backs who are recovering balls and have high clean-sheet potential. So with a clean sheet, you will get 8-9 points, without CS 3-5. That could separate your team from the rest of the crowd and gain you a few extra points that could be really valuable in the long run.

Predicting Balls Recovered

Is it possible to predict how many balls certain players recover in the match? Mike tries to use data and model it. Read more about it in his article: Predicting Balls Recovered: a Data-Driven Attempt