Veteran left-winger Luis Rioja continues to prove his worth with Deportivo Alaves within the La Liga. At age 30, while not a spring chicken in football years, he continues to display a high proficiency across a range of game aspects, ensuring his midfield presence remains vital.
Despite sitting mid-table percentile for ball retention and progressive carrying, it is Rioja's progressive passing ability that excels, scoring in the upper 70th percentile. His pairing of successful crosses per 90, topping out at 77.08%, further accentuates his role as an optimal playmaker, able to facilitate key movements and create opportunities for his team, as evidenced by his above-average xA per 90 percentile ranking.
However, one cannot fully analyse Rioja without delving into some of his weaknesses, which present potential areas for improvement. Most notably, his low percentile on being dispossessed per 90, less than 11%, indicates susceptibility to losing the ball to opponents. Furthermore, his goal efficiency and goal threat metrics are both lower quartile, pointing to inefficiencies and lower threat in front of the goal.
Nevertheless, despite these weaker areas, Rioja remains a reliable asset and an experienced presence on the field for Deportivo Alaves within La Liga. His ability to robustly engage in plays and create opportunities offer crucial value, thus cementing his ongoing relevance and importance within the team roster.
Luis Rioja Key stats
Luis Rioja Senior Career
Luis Rioja Career Trend
Luis Rioja Shot Maps
Luis Rioja Shot Summary
In the 2024-2025 season, Luis Rioja took 8 shots, scoring 2 goals. This output came from an Expected Goals (xG) of 1.25, averaging 0.16 xG per shot.
Right Foot: 0 goals from 1 shots. A 0.0% conversion rate. 0.23 xG per shot.
Left Foot: 2 goals from 7 shots. A 28.57% conversion rate. 0.15 xG per shot.
Headers: 0 goals from 0 headed attempts. A 0% conversion rate. 0 xG per shot.