Prieto González, PabloHilal Yagin, FatmaMartín, VíctorMarcelino, RuiAlghannam, AbdullahYagin, BurakSal de Rellán, Alejandro2026-09-072026-09-072026Prieto-González, P., Yagin, F. H., Martín, V., Marcelino, R., Alghannam, A. F., Yagin, B., & Sal-de-Rellán, A. (2026). A data-driven performance index for center forwards in the English Premier League. Scientific Reports, 16(1), 26001. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-55681-92045-2322https://hdl.handle.net/11268/17411Despite the growing availability of performance data in professional soccer, existing player rating systems lack positional specificity and fail to capture the multidimensional demands of center forwards. Building on composite index and regularized regression approaches in sports analytics, this study develops a Soccer Performance Index (SPI) tailored to center forwards in the English Premier League (EPL) across the 2021–2024 seasons.engAttribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Educación e innovación educativajournal article10.1038/s41598-026-55681-9open accessDeporteCompetencia deportivaAtletaGoal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages