AI DNA Similarity
Best Alternatives to Ilia Gruev
Players most similar to Ilia Gruev (Midfielder, €9.0M) — ranked by AI DNA similarity score across playing style, pressing intensity, and tactical fit.
Top 3 Alternatives to Ilia Gruev
- 1.Antoni Milambo85% DNA match·Brentford€20.0M
- 2.Sandro Tonali84% DNA match·Newcastle United€80.0M
- 3.Sandi Lovrić84% DNA match·Hellas Verona€6.0M
Ranked by AI DNA similarity — 768 dimensions across playing style, pressing intensity, and tactical fit.
RT
Intelligence Verdict
AssistsTop 13%
???Bottom 14%
“A Ball-Winner....”
See Full Verdict + Share Card →Playing Style Analysis
Ball-Winner
A Ball-Winner. Statistically, he stands out as naturally left-footed, a reliable supplier (0.20 assists/90), meticulous in distribution (90% pass accuracy) and heavily involved in play (51 touches/90). The three most similar players to Ilia Gruev by playing style are:
- Antoni Milambo(85% match) — A Creator. Statistically, he stands out as a capable chance creator (1.2 key passes/90), a reliable supplier (0.23 assists/90) and creates high-quality scoring opportunities (0.59 big chances/90).
- Sandro Tonali(84% match) — A Ball-Winner. Statistically, he stands out as a capable chance creator (1.1 key passes/90), penetrates with forward passing (9.0 final-third passes/90), central to possession (71 touches/90), uses long balls frequently (5.3/90) and active off the ball (2.7 press score/90), contributing to defensive transitions.
- Sandi Lovrić(84% match) — A Creator. Statistically, he stands out as a capable chance creator (1.2 key passes/90), active in the tackle (1.9 tackles/90), meticulous in distribution (85% pass accuracy), heavily involved in play (52 touches/90) and active off the ball (2.3 press score/90), contributing to defensive transitions.
Transfer Intelligence
Antoni Milambo delivers 85% of the same playing style, at a 122% premium over Ilia Gruev, with 1.22 key passes per 90 at age 21.
Similarity is calculated using per-90 performance data across multiple playing style dimensions. How Player DNA matching works →
Similar Players — Ranked by DNA Similarity
#1
A
Antoni Milambo
Brentford · Premier League
Netherlands21yContract 2030
KP/901.22
G/900.14
Creator
vs Gruev: €11M more expensive · 5y younger
85% match
€20.0M
#2
S
Sandro Tonali
Newcastle United · Premier League
Italy26yContract 2028
KP/901.12
G/900.00
Ball-Winner
Last 5: → Stablevs Gruev: €71M more expensive
84% match
€80.0M
#3
S
Sandi Lovrić
Hellas Verona · Serie A
Slovenia28yContract 2027
KP/900.94
G/900.00
Creator
vs Gruev: 2y older
84% match
€6.0M
#4
M
Marko Grujić
AEK Athens · Liga Portugal
Serbia30y
KP/901.95
G/900.49
MetronomeDefensive
84% match
€9.0M
#5
F
Filip Ugrinic
Valencia · La Liga
Switzerland27yContract 2029
KP/901.46
G/900.00
Box-to-BoxSmall Sample
Last 5: ↑ Hot85% match
€6.0M
#6
D
Dominik Szoboszlai
Liverpool · Premier League
Hungary25yContract 2028
KP/902.00
G/900.18
CreatorCreative
Last 5: → Stable84% match
€100.0M
#7
S
Saša Lukić
Fulham · Premier League
Serbia29yContract 2027
KP/901.48
G/900.06
Box-to-Box
Last 5: → Stable84% match
€12.0M
#8
A
Alex Scott
AFC Bournemouth · Premier League
England22yContract 2028
KP/900.88
G/900.10
Box-to-Box
Last 5: ↑ Hot83% match
€40.0M
#9
T
Tomas Suslov
Hellas Verona · Serie A
Slovakia23yContract 2027
KP/900.48
G/900.00
Creator
Last 5: → Stable83% match
€5.0M
#10
L
Love Arrhov
Eintracht Frankfurt · Bundesliga
Sweden17yContract 2028
KP/901.50
G/900.07
Creator
83% match
€5.0M
#11
O
Oscar Gloukh
Ajax · Eredivisie
Israel22yContract 2030
KP/901.67
G/900.35
CreatorCreative
Last 5: → Stable84% match
€18.0M
#12
E
Elliot Anderson
Nottingham Forest · Premier League
Scotland23yContract 2029
KP/901.50
G/900.11
MetronomeCreative
Last 5: ↓ Dip83% match
€60.0M
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Ask AI: Why are these players similar?
Our 768-dimension Player DNA model matches playing style, physical profile, pressing intensity, and tactical fit. Ask the AI to explain exactly what makes these players statistically similar to Ilia Gruev.
Ask AI about Ilia Gruev →Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the best alternatives to Ilia Gruev?▼
The top alternatives to Ilia Gruev based on AI DNA playing style analysis include: Antoni Milambo, Sandro Tonali, Sandi Lovrić, Marko Grujić, Filip Ugrinic. These players were matched using Rising Transfers' 768-dimension DNA model across playing style, pressing intensity, and tactical fit — not just position or market value.
Which players are similar to Ilia Gruev in 2026?▼
Players with a similar profile to Ilia Gruev in 2026 include Antoni Milambo (€20.0M), Sandro Tonali (€80.0M), Sandi Lovrić (€6.0M). For a deeper DNA-level comparison including playing style, physical attributes, and tactical fit, ask Rising Transfers' AI directly.
What position does Ilia Gruev play and who plays similarly?▼
Ilia Gruev plays as a Midfielder. Players with a comparable positional profile include Antoni Milambo (Netherlands, €20.0M); Sandro Tonali (Italy, €80.0M); Sandi Lovrić (Slovenia, €6.0M); Marko Grujić (Serbia, €9.0M).
How does Rising Transfers find similar players?▼
Rising Transfers uses a proprietary 768-dimension Player DNA model trained on 3.2 million match events. Each player is represented as a vector across 35+ per-90 metrics including pressing intensity, passing footprint, dribbling profile, and defensive contribution. Similarity is measured using cosine distance — the same technique used in state-of-the-art AI systems — making it the most precise player comparison tool available publicly.