Who is better, Deco or Hughes?
Deco leads with a GOAT score of 84.2 against 84.2 for Emlyn Hughes — a gap of 0.0 points on GOAT Rank's weighted model.
AthletesTeams
Deco vs Hughes
Shareable comparison — send this exact matchup to anyone.
Quick answer
GOAT Rank currently scores Deco and Emlyn Hughes level at 84.2. Deco leads on Peak, Statistics. Emlyn Hughes leads on Longevity, Honours, Dominance.
How the GOAT Score is calculated →GOAT verdictgoatrank.world
DecoWinner
84.2Deco wins: Peak, Statistics
Hughes
84.2Hughes wins: Dominance, Longevity, Honours
Candidates
Locked to FootballShareable URL · /compare/deco-midfielder-vs-emlyn-hughes
Time range
Showing full careers. Pick a window to recalculate the selected period.
Category radar
Verdict
Weighted GOAT score
🇵🇹 Deco
84.2
Deco leads in 2 of 5 weighted categories.
1. Deco
2. Emlyn Hughes
Category breakdown
Season form · Form index per season
Career timeline · Form index per season
Cumulative output season by season — the shape of each career against the other.
GOAT pace tracker
Through age 21 · Form index per season
1. 🏴 Emlyn Hughes270 goals
4 seasons by age 21 · 67.5 per season
Setting the pace at age 21
No verified birth date for Deco — shown in the pro-debut view instead.
Every career is cut at the season the athlete turned 21, so a rookie today is measured against exactly what a legend had banked by the same birthday.
Fan vote — data vs the people
GOAT Rank · the data
Deco84.2
Hughes84.2
FAQ
Where does Hughes beat Deco?
Hughes scores higher on dominance, honours, longevity. Deco leads on peak, statistics.
How is the Deco vs Hughes score calculated?
Both are scored on peak, dominance, honours, statistics, longevity within their sport. Deco: 84.2, Hughes: 84.2.
What do you think?
0 commentsMake your case for Deco vs Hughes. The scoring is published in full — if you can point at the pillar or the weight you disagree with, we read it. Read the methodology paper.