FIFA 18: 5 Premier League starters who are rated worse than Indian captain Sunil Chhetri

Sunil Chhetri (overall 67)
Sunil Chhetri (overall 67)

Sunil Chhetri is a legend of Indian football.The Bengaluru FC and Indian national team captain is among the most-capped Indian players and also all-time top goal scorer for the national team, with 54 goals in 95 appearances.

There are many instances when we see that the Indian football team or a specific player from the team is compared to Premier League players and criticized on that basis. Chhetri has been the scapegoat too, quite a number of times, despite his decent performances throughout his career.

Chhetri has an overall rating of 67 in FIFA 18. So, let's compare Chhetri with some of the Premier League stars, and see if our football captain is indeed that bad, how people sometimes consider him to be. Here is a list of 5 Premier League players who are actually worse than Chhetri in FIFA 18:

#5 Ben Woodburn (Liverpool)

Ben Woodburn (overall 63)
Ben Woodburn (overall 63)

The Welsh footballer plays as a forward for Liverpool FC. 18 years of age, Woodburn became the third youngest player to debut on the senior team, and in his second appearance, he earned the title of being the club's youngest goal-scorer ever.

A sporadic Premier League starter, his overall rating in FIFA 18 is 63. Woodburn's finishing of 61 lags behind Chhetri's 71. The Liverpool youngster's free-kick ratings are also way lower than our Indian captain. While Woodburn's sprinting is the same as of Chhetri, he again lags behind in stamina.

#4 Angel Gomes (Manchester United)

Angel Gomes (overall
Angel Gomes (overall 63)

Gomes, 17, is an English footballer who plays as a forward for Manchester United in the Premier League, and he has quite a few achievements to his name. He has captained England at under-16, under-17 and under-18 levels, and in 2016, he became the youngest player to score a hat-trick for Manchester United at academy level since 2001.

He also became the youngest-ever recipient of the 'Jimmy Murphy Player of the Year' award. He appeared in his debut on 21 May 2017, replacing Wayne Rooney in a 2–0 victory at home to Crystal Place, and in doing so, he became the youngest player to represent Manchester United since 1953.

Despite all the achievements which hint towards him being a wunderkind, Gomes is still far away from being where Chhetri is. His overall rating is 63, and his shot power of 61 is less than Chhetri's 66. Talking about long shots, Chhetri is still better than the English footballer. Defensively also, Chhetri trumps Gomes with a 29 defence stat in comparison to Gomes's 20.

#3 Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton)

Dominic Calver-Lewin (overall
Dominic Calver-Lewin (overall 65)

Calvert-Lewin plays as a forward for the English club, Everton FC. His overall rating is 65, 2 points lesser than our captain Chhetri. Analysing both the players' offence, one can see that the youngster - who has been a regular starter for the Toffees this season in the league - has lower shot power, free-kicks, short passing, and long passing. While the English footballer has one more point to his defending, Chhetri outclassed Calvert-Lewin in sliding tackles. If put 1-on-1, Chhetri is guaranteed to come out victorious.

#2 Dean Whitehead (Huddersfield Town)

Dean Whitehead
Dean Whitehead (overall 66)

Aged 35, Dean plays as a central midfielder or a right-back in the Premier League club, Huddersfield. His overall rating is at 66 and just a point lower than Chhetri. In attack, Whitehead, who has had stints at Stoke City and Sunderland in the Premier League, lags behind Chhetri in shot power, finishing, and ball control. While better equipped in defence, Whitehead is slower than Chhetri and also gets gassed out quicker. The current Chhetri would certainly be a good Premier League player if FIFA 18 ratings are anything to go by.

#1 Hal Robson-Kanu (West Bromwich Albion)

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Hal Robson-Kanu (overall 67)

Robson-Kanu is 28 years of age and plays as a winger for West Bromwich Albion. Although he initially played primarily on the wing, he has also been used as a forward, as seen during Wales' run to the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2016.

Of all the players on this list, Robson-Kanu comes closest to Chhetri with an overall of 67. Still, the Welshman is a slower runner than Chhetri, and offensively, though he is ahead of Chhetri in shot power, his finishing lags way behind. While he has more stamina than Chhetri, the Indian captain is ahead than the English footballer when it comes to factors such as positioning, and sliding tackles.

After going through this analysis, one can't help but conclude that the Indian captain is not as bad as he is portrayed in the wider world, a lot of times. The comparison gives us a perspective, if nothing else, that it is not an everyday news, that an Indian player rises to a level where Chhetri is right now. The Indian striker's credentials are indeed impressive, and he has made it into the hall of famers for the right reasons.