The ratings are the bane of any match-covering football journalist because invariably they are ‘wrong’ or ‘too generous’ or ‘too harsh’ and entirely subjective. But even in the digital-era of football reporting, the ratings remain as popular as ever with readers and fans, either because everyone loves to shout at a journalist or because they love to weigh their estimations up against those that come out of the press box.
This year, as they do every year, the ratings averaged out for each individual Leeds United player painted a picture of who most consistently stood out in games across the season. As a ranking system it’s far from perfect because a player who shines in cameos off the bench does not have the same task as a player who is solid but unspectacular as a starter. A player can pick up an 8 out of 10 against an already-relegated opposition at home while another can be a solid, valuable 7 out of 10 away from home in a hard-fought draw against elite opposition. Contributions are all important, everyone does their bit and plays their part.
When the full picture emerges those at the top tend to be the players who were in the running for the end-of-season awards. Perhaps how best to view an average rating is to consider them outside of any squad-wide ranking or comparison and just put the number next to the name. Some of them feel very right. A few might be a tad generous or a tad the other way. In any case, a 6 out of 10 performance across a Premier League season isn’t bad - anything close to a 7 is really very impressive. And as luck would have it, the man ranked first - albeit on the merit of a couple of decimal places in what is otherwise a three-way tie for first - is the man who did pick up all the awards.
What the ratings also show is that Leeds’ summer 2025 recruitment was absolutely vital to their success on the pitch this season. Just look at the ratings of some of the new signings, who bedded in so quickly in a new country and in the world’s toughest proving ground. So here are the averages. All of them entirely correct.
25. Ethan Ampadu - 7.2
Captain, leader...the next bit is up to him really. But on the evidence he presented this season the sky is the limit. Not just solid but classy too. An iron fist in a velvet glove and vital for Leeds' survival bid. His consistency was the most impressive aspect. | Getty Images