Best Alternatives to Thiago Maia

Playing Style Analysis

Maia is the metronomic heartbeat of a Tier C side who somehow manages to combine the volume of a deep-lying playmaker with the physical bite of a dedicated enforcer. Averaging 67.5 passes per 90, he ranks in the top 5% of Serie A midfielders for involvement, yet he isn't just padding stats with lateral safety; his 11.25 passes into the final third suggest a verticality that most defensive anchors lack. While his 86.9% accuracy is impressive, the real story lies in his aerial dominance, winning 1.76 headers per 90—a top 5% output that makes him a statistical unicorn for his height. The three closest DNA matches to Thiago Maia:

• Danilo Cataldi(85% match) — A Ball-Winner. Statistically, he stands out as a capable chance creator (1.1 key passes/90), meticulous in distribution (85% pass accuracy), wins the physical battle (59% duel success), heavily involved in play (62 touches/90) and active off the ball (2.5 press score/90), contributing to defensive transitions.
• Nikola Moro(84% match) — Moro is the kind of midfielder who quietly rewires a team's tempo before anyone notices he's doing it. Playing in Serie A's congested midfield battlegrounds, his 65.6 passes per 90 places him in the top 5% of the league—not because he's safe and sideways, but because he's constantly available and constantly moving the game forward.
• Ardon Jashari(80% match) — A Metronome. Statistically, he stands out as a capable chance creator (1.2 key passes/90), active in the tackle (1.8 tackles/90), meticulous in distribution (91% pass accuracy), central to possession (71 touches/90) and active off the ball (2.6 press score/90), contributing to defensive transitions.

Similarity uses per-90 performance across playing-style dimensions. How Player DNA matching works →