According to reports, with the introduction of the semi-automated offside system this season, players in La Liga have committed fewer offside offenses. For the first time in the last 17 seasons, the average number of offsides per match has dropped below four, and only one player in the league—Kylian Mbappe, the French forward of Real Madrid—has been caught offside an average of once per game.

So far this season, in 309 matches played, 1,204 offsides have been called, averaging 3.9 offsides per match. This statistic shows a significant decrease compared to last season, when the average was 4.44 offsides per game. This is the first time since the 2008-09 season that the average number of offsides has dropped below four per match. In the not-too-distant past, during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons, referees would raise the flag for offside, and the averages were 5.89 and 5.81, respectively.

The decline in offside statistics is not unique to Spain. In Italy’s Serie A, we are witnessing the lowest number of offsides this season (average 3.11), and the English Premier League has also seen a noticeable decrease compared to last season (3.45). The German Bundesliga is experiencing its second-lowest average in recent years (3.60). Only Ligue 1 in France has not followed this downward trend.

Above the Number One

In the 2024-25 season, only one player has been caught offside more than once per game on average: Kylian Mbappe, the French forward of Real Madrid, with an average of 1.34 offsides per match. He has a significant lead over his closest competitor, Fabio Silva of Las Palmas, with an average of 0.88 per game.

Mbappe was particularly caught offside multiple times in Week 11 of La Liga against Barcelona; in that match, he was flagged offside eight times.

Last season, four players ended the season with an average of more than one offside per game. However, we are still far from the extraordinary record of the 2010-11 season, when 20 players finished the season with an average of more than one offside per game.

However, Mbappe’s current average (1.34) is still far from La Liga’s recent record. David Villa, playing for Barcelona in the 2010-11 season, was caught offside an average of 2.33 times per game.

Mbappe must pay close attention to this issue ahead of the crucial Copa del Rey final against Barcelona. Hansi Flick’s team, with their high defensive line, poses a serious challenge for opposing forwards, and Mbappe needs to address this issue to avoid trouble in the high-stakes final.