'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Getting a draw can be both a good and bad result, but it is usually frowned upon. In the end, it means the team has dropped two points. The points system saw a rule change in early 1980s. Prior to this, two points were awarded for a win instead of one. This led to many teams settling for a draw and made the game less competitive.
The current system of three points for a win has led to a more balanced and exciting playstyle. Liverpool fans will have bitter memories of the 2018-19 season in which they lost the title to Manchester City by just one point. The Reds lost just one game, but they drew seven games which turned out to be the difference-maker.
Let’s now take a look at the five players with the most draws in the past three years in Europe’s top five leagues.
#5 Jose Luis Morales
Levante's Jose Luis Morales has been a mainstay at the club since 2014. The Spaniard was promoted to the main team in 2013 but was then immediately loaned out to Eibar. He returned the following year and has been a regular feature in Levante’s attack.
Morales has played 124 games in the last three years and 41 out of these have been draws.
The 34-year-old has six goals and one assist in 20 La Liga appearances this season. Levante have won just one and drawn eight out of 21 La Liga games this season. Only three other La Liga clubs have more draws than them.
Levante registered their only win of the season earlier in January when they beat Mallorca 2-0. Morales scored the second goal in dramatic fashion in the 97th minute. They are currently at the bottom of the table and need a drastic change in fortune for them to escape relegation.
#4 Francis Coquelin
Francis Coquelin joined Villareal from Valencia at the start of the 2020-21 season. The Frenchman spent a considerable amount of time in England, playing for Arsenal’s youth teams. He spent more than a decade with the Gunners, including a few loan spells as well. He won two FA Cups and two Community Shields during his time in North London.
Coquelin’s first season with Villareal was a successful one, as he won the Europa League with The Yellow Submarine. Coquelin has had more than his fair share of draws. In the last three years, 41 out of the 105 games he’s been part of have been draws.
The Frenchman has featured in just 13 games for Villareal in the league this season, in which he has a goal and an assist. The Frenchman has had injury problems of late and has been sidelined since late November. Villareal are currently seventh in La Liga and have an outside chance of securing a top-four finish.
#3 Raul Garcia
Raul Garcia’s football career has spanned nearly two decades, and the Spaniard is still going strong. He signed for Athletic Bilbao in 2015 after spending a considerable amount of time with Atletico Madrid. Garcia has played 125 games in the past three years and 43 of these have been draws.
Garcia’s best days have been in an Atletico Madrid jersey. The Spaniard won the La Liga, Europa League, Spanish Super Cup, and the Spanish Cup with the club. He has also won two UEFA Super Cups with Atleti. Garcia won the 2020-21 Spanish Super Cup with Bilbao.
Garcia may be 35 but he has still played in two-thirds of Bilbao’s games this season. He has three goals and one assist in 20 La Liga appearances. Bilbao achieved a famous victory against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey recently, and will now face Real Madrid in the Quarter Finals.
#2 Marc Cucurella
Marc Cucurella began his footballing career at Barcelona’s U-16 team. His progress was phenomenal and he quickly climbed up the professional ladder. Barcelona then sent Cucurella on loan spells at Eibar and Getafe. The Spaniard joined the Premier League and signed for Brighton and Hove Albion at the start of the 2021-22 season.
Cucurella has played 123 games in the past three years and 43 of these have been draws. He has seen familiar circumstances in the Premier League as well. Brighton have drawn 12 games this season, more than any other team in the Premier League.
Cucurella has adapted exceptionally well to the Premier League and has played in every single league match since joining the Seagulls. The 23-year-old is technically gifted and versatile on the pitch. He has put in brilliant performances and has run tirelessly up and down the wing.
#1 Inaki Williams
Inaki Williams has been one of Athletic Bilbao’s best players for years. The club announced in 2019 that they had agreed a nine-year deal with Williams, which only shows how high they value the Spaniard. Only Denilson's 10-year deal with Real Betis in 1998 was of a longer duration.
The Spaniard has won two Spanish Super Cups with Bilbao. Inaki Williams has played in 135 games in the past three years and 45 of these games have been draws. Williams has five goals and two assists in La Liga as of now.
The 27-year-old has managed to maintain insane fitness levels, and hasn’t missed a single league game in over six years. He has made 217 consecutive appearances in La Liga. Inaki has surpassed former Real Sociedad defender Juan Antonio Larranaga, who had made 202 consecutive appearances.
