Nelson Bonilla
position: forward
citizenship: El Salvador
date of birth: 11.09.1990
height/weight: 179 cm/70 kg
Fast and technically equipped centre-forward. Right-footed player. Balances well on off-side line. Makes decent accurate shots.
POSITION
Plays as classic centre-forward. Mostly performs in schemes with an only forward. Can also go deeper to receive balls.
CAREER DESCRIPTION
Bonilla started pro career in El Salvador league. He is a main national team player since 2012. In 2014 signed with Romanian side Viitorul where he has played for one season before being transferred to Azerbajani club Zira. After that he has played in Turkish Gaziantep BB, Portuguese Nacional and Oliveirense until he signed with Thai League side Sukhotai in January 2018 (25 goals in 33 games). After year of playing there he was signed by FC True Bangkok United from the same league (16 goals in 20 games). Since 2020 he plays for FC Port from Thai League.
Bonilla scored 44 goals and made 8 assists with 54 appearances in all Thai competitions since 2018.
He also has 46 international caps and 16 international goals so far.
Player’s market value has risen up to €800.000 recently.
STATS & NUMBERS
All stats as per 90min.
Scored 25 goals in all competitions last season, including 6 of 7 penalties scored.
79% accurate passes out of 20 passes. 0.52 xG with 47% shots on target and 36% chances conversion.
With an average height (179 cm) makes 37% air challenges successful.
50% dribbles successful with 3.8 dribbles.
Makes 1.1 interceptions and picks up 3.1 free balls.
Makes 1.63 tackles with 44% of success. 1.08 fouls and 1.08 fouls suffered.
Due to decent body balance and good on-ball technique, flicks to best positions using false backswing to develop the attack.
COUNTER-ATTACKS
Accelerates without a ball in the right time to make run-ins to the final third. Usually he is on top of a counter-attack with a targeted accurate shot.
DRIBBLING
Uses good body balance and acceleration skill for dribbles. Tries to go past an opponent with fake actions.
FINISHING TECHNIQUE
Uses fake motions to run past defenders in penalty box. Tries to move between opponents to make them tackle with a foul. Gets to the shooting position quite easily and makes powerful shots with the right leg. Accelerates past defenders when feels he is more faster.
HEADERS
Thanks to good coordination, makes headers from almost every position possible. Shoots on target, his headers are quite powerful as well.
INTERCEPTIONS
Runs into balls and intercepts them with the following pass to the closest teammate.
FOULS SUFFERED
Covers the ball with the body and waits for contact. “Finds” fouls easily thanks to his body balance and ability to move aside fast. Usually prefers to suffer a foul, not to pass back to the own half.
CONCLUSION
Nelson Bonilla is a decent fast centre-forward. He is technically equipped and good at dribbling, including dribbling in opponents’ penalty box. Makes accurate shots, including those from distance. Good vision of the off-side line. He can finish an episode with a shot on his own.
He will be useful for teams playing on counter-attacks and in schemes with the only forward.
