Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo are “30% genius” and owe as much to Pythagoras as they do to Pele.

Scientists have found maths, geometry and statistics play a huge part in the beautiful game.

They could determine whether a player reaches his top potential.

Sports scientist Dr Ken Bray analysed hours of footage to prove 30% of a player’s technique is down to an intuitive understanding of maths and science – such as the law of gravity discovered by Sir Isaac Newton when an apple fell on his head.

He said: “Football is an art but it’s also a science and every footballer uses geometry, aerodynamics and probability to perform at their peak.

“An understanding of scientific and mathematical principles could be worth its weight in gold if you want a career in football.” Dr Bray used the example of taking a penalty kick to explain his theory. He said: “Even the best keepers cannot cover every inch of the goal and 28% of the net is beyond the goalkeeper’s diving reach. “Anything hit into that area is unsaveable. “Good penalty kickers understand the odds and play the percentages.”

Burnley defender Clark Carlisle, a Countdown champion and maths A-level holder, agrees science is crucial to football.

The 31-year-old said: “We rely on scientific principles to improve our performance, whether it’s striking the ball cleanly, working out the angle of a slide rule pass or positioning the wall to defend a free kick.”

Above video: Bicycle Kicks - The Science of Sport

Info Source: Daily Mail