The 22-year-old’s statistics have resurfaced for Kai Havertz after Arsenal lost to Manchester United in the FA Cup third round penalty shootout.
Havertz started the FA Cup tie at the Emirates Stadium as Arsenal’s central striker.
He won a penalty in the second half but it appeared that Harry Maguire accused him of ‘cheating’ as there was little or no contact between the pair in the incident which resulted in a spot kick award.
Captain Martin Odegaard then missed a penalty, but his effort was saved by United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir.
Havertz then ended a disappointing afternoon by saving his spot kick in the shootout – which also caused him to miss a golden late chance to win the game for the Arsenal forward.
He was one of Arsenal’s strongest performers in the early stages of the campaign and has 10 goals in all competitions.
But he has received criticism in recent weeks for a perceived lack of impact in games, and has scored only three times since the beginning of December.
Manager Mikel Arteta defended Havertz after the match, Told reporters in the press conference after the match: “For them and for all of them, that I love them, that we all love them individually and as a team, they are a joy. What this team produces every three days It’s unbelievable, no matter what happens.”
Havertz is now 25 years old, and he is beginning to enter what many may consider his peak years as a footballer.
He came into English football aged just 21 and signed for Chelsea in the summer of 2021 after two exceptional seasons with Bayer Leverkusen.
At 22, Havertz had more goals and assists than Messi and Ronaldo – although he had played 33 more matches than Messi.
Image: Twitter/@LunihanV1
Now, however, the scenario looks quite different when comparing the trio’s records at Havertz’s current age.
By the age of 25, Messi had 121 assists, while Ronaldo had assisted on 70 occasions. The Portuguese icon scored on 160 occasions, while Messi scored 309 goals in the same period in his career.
Since he turned 22, Havertz has scored 39 goals in all competitions for Arsenal and Chelsea, meaning he now has 82 goals to his name.
Meanwhile, he added 17 assists to his 30 markers at the age of 22 – leaving him behind Ronaldo and Messi in the statistic.