Caleb Ekuban
Genoa · Forward · Ghana · 986 min
Ballity Verdict
What makes this player special?
Caleb Ekuban's value is deciding games where it hurts: occupation of the box, finishing, and the pressure that comes with a centre-forward who stays dangerous. Build-up help is secondary; the point is goals and presence.
Beyond the headline job, Ekuban remains plausible as poacher and shadow striker. The secondary roles matter for how a coach can reorganise without changing the XI entirely.
On the pitch he has actually been used as CF (#9) / SS. That matters: skill-set breadth is one thing; demonstrated deployment is another. Ekuban's authenticity claim starts from those minutes, not from a role board alone.
The trade-off is real: target_man shows up as a structural caveat in the profile. Any club buying the upside has to decide whether that hole is tolerable in their system — or whether they will need complementary players beside him.
Why Ballity says this
- Midfield / role totality: target man, poacher, shadow striker
- Shown minutes: CF (#9) / SS
- Known caveat: target_man
Receipts
- · Player Profile
- · Role Breadth
- · Deployment authenticity
- · Sample · featured
Position
Forward
Appearances
31
Great+ roles
1
Age
32
Preferred foot
—
Height
182 cm
Ballity insights
Peer context vs forwards — how often they get the ball and what they do with it. Separate from role tiers above. Attackers also split separation into on-ball (dribble-created) and off-ball (movement).
Usage rate
Share of team touches (non-GK) among forwards with match data.
7.2% team touches
Peer band · Low
Pool percentile
35.0%
Also 31.6 touches/90 (season aggregate).
Efficiency
Output quality per action for forwards.
45 score
Peer band · Average
Pool percentile
60.2%
On-ball separation
Dribble-created space and self-made shot quality.
31 score
Peer band · Average
Pool percentile
55.1%
Off-ball separation
Movement-created space on assisted attempts.
58 score
Peer band · Low
Pool percentile
34.7%
Balance & structural weaknesses
How complete this player is on the position's job board — strengths and holes.
How we define this
Two-way = Great+ on ≥2 complementary axes. One-way = every other route Limited/closed. Weak routes = Average holes on complementary axes.
Strong as Target Man (Great)
Weak routes
Stat profile
Within position peers — percentile shape (not role scores).
Versatility Index
Precise 0–100 score — cross-group breadth (67%) plus within-group depth (33%), quality-scaled by tier. Distinct from the shape card below.
Index
30.4
Breadth 20.1 · Depth 10.3
- ·Midfielders: Box Crasher (Elite)
- ·Forwards: Target Man (Good), Poacher (Good), Shadow Striker (Good)
Versatility shape
Coarse directional pattern (Specialist / Dual-threat / Generalist) — not the 0–100 Index above.
Specialist
Great SpecialistDistinct Great+
1 Great+ roles total
Where he plays
Positions with deployment evidence — not statistical guesses.
Natural
Role translations
Where the profile could fit. Tap a position — then see which role style suits it.
Select a position on the pitch to see the best role, alternatives, and evidence.
Role-by-role detail
How each role is scored. Expand a row for a radar of role-shaped stats.
Similar players
Shape match across forward roles — cosine similarity of role scores (domestic leagues only). Slot 1 is the best same-league match; the rest are the next closest from the full pool.
