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FIFA is one of the most popular video game franchises in the world. One of its best features is the career mode.
In this article, we will try to check the accuracy of the game's predicted ratings by looking at ten of the best young players in FIFA 14 and see if they have managed to fulfil their potential six years later.
A look at ten most highly-rated FIFA 14 players and where they are now:
#10: Thibaut Courtois (Rating - 84, Potential - 88)
The Belgian shot-stopper was a very promising goalkeeper back in 2013. In the FIFA 14 game, he had a rating of 84 and a potential of 88.
Since then he has won a La Liga title with Atletico Madrid, two Premier League titles with Chelsea and more recently, another La Liga title with Real Madrid.
The world's third-most expensive goalkeeper has established himself as one of the best in the world. That is evident in his potential rated at 90 in FIFA 19 and a current rating of 88 in FIFA 20.
#9: James Rodriguez (Rating - 83, Potential - 89)
James Rodriguez had a rating of 83 and a potential of 89 in FIFA 14. In the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the Columbian scored six goals in five games, taking his side to the quarterfinals of the competition and ending up with the Golden Boot. That prompted Real Madrid to pay €75 million to Monaco for the services of Rodriguez.
He won two Champions league titles and a La Liga title with the Los Blancos before falling out of favour with Zinedine Zidane and being sent out on loan to Bayern Munich, where he won two more league titles.
In the 2019-20 season, Rodriguez won another Spanish league title with Real Madrid but played only eight games for the side. It's fair to say that he hasn't been able to replicate his World Cup form at either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, but I would say that he did reach his potential peak rating of 88 in FIFA 19.
#8: Jack Wilshere (Rating - 82, Potential - 89)
In 2013, Jack Wilshere was touted as the future of England's and Arsenal's midfield; he had a FIFA rating of 82 and a potential of 89.
It was clear that the English midfielder was very talented and seemed destined for greatness. Unfortunately, he was plagued with injuries and could never enjoy a long spell in the starting line-up at both club and country.
From Arsenal, he went on loan to Bournemouth in 2016 to try and get a good run of games before finally joining West Ham in 2018. But injuries followed him there too as he managed to start just six games in his last two seasons, missing 53 games through injury.
His highest FIFA rating since 2013 came in FIFA 17 when he was rated at 82 overall. Who knows what might have been if he didn't have to deal with all the injuries.
#7: Isco (Rating - 84, Potential - 89)
Spanish international Isco moved to Real Madrid for €30 million back in 2013 after winning the U-21 European Championship with Spain.
At the time the 21-year-old had a rating of 84 in FIFA 14 and a potential of 89. Since then the midfielder has made more than 200 appearances for Los Blancos and has been a key component of the side.
He has won 15 major trophies with the Spanish outfit, including 4 back-to-back Champions League and two La Liga titles. His highest rating of 89 was in FIFA 19, so it's safe to say that Isco has reached his FIFA 14 potential.
#6: Marquinhos (Rating - 78, Potential - 89)
Since moving to PSG in 2013, Marquinhos established himself as a starter in the first-team and won six Ligue 1 titles and 18 other domestic trophies.
In FIFA 14, the then 19-year-old Brazilian had an overall rating of 78 and a potential of 89. Since then he has improved every season and currently has a rating of 86 in FIFA 20.
Even though he hasn't hit the 89 predicted in FIFA 14, he is only just 26 years of age, and I wouldn't be surprised if he reaches that potential sooner rather than later.
#5: Zakaria Bakkali (Rating - 73, Potential - 90)
Belgian wonderkid Zakaria Bakkali was one of the brightest talents in Europe back in 2013. He had a FIFA rating of 73 and a potential of 90. If he had reached that potential, it would've made him one of the best players in the world now.
Unfortunately, Bakkali never managed to reach those heights. He forced a move out of PSV to Valencia where he looked to make his mark. However, disappointing performances there saw him fall out of favour before he was loaned out to Deportivo.
Bakkali then moved back to Belgium in 2018 to join Anderlecht. During this period, his highest rating of 76 came in the FIFA 16 edition. But he seems to have regressed since then, as is evident in his FIFA 20 rating of 69.
It seems like FIFA got their expect rating wrong with Zakaria Bakkali.
#4 Eden Hazard (Rating - 85, Potential - 90)
Another Belgian wonderkid Eden Hazard ended his debut season with Chelsea back in 2013 by winning the Europa League. He also had a fabulous campaign in the Premier League, making 20 goal involvements in 31 starts for the Blues. That prompted FIFA to give him a rating of 85 and a potential of 90.
Since then, Hazard was the best player at Chelsea, powering them to two Premier League titles and a Europa League triumph before securing a €115 million move to Real Madrid in 2019.
It's safe to say that Hazard has lived up to his FIFA 14 potential as he was rated at 91 in FIFA 18,19 and 20.
#3: Lucas Moura (Rating - 81, Potential - 90)
In 2013, 21-year-old Lucas Moura had just made a €40 million move from Sao Paulo in Brazil to PSG. FIFA gave the highly-rated player an overall rating of 81 and a potential of 90.
Moura was expected to be the next world beater from Brazil. After settling into the PSG team, he showed a few sparks on occasion. But he could never reach the potential that was expected of him there before he made a move to Tottenham Hotspur in January 2018 to resurrect his career.
He is a quality player, but he has not managed to reach the potential expected of him. That is evident in his highest overall rating of 83 in FIFA 15 and FIFA 20.
#2: Neymar (Rating - 84, Potential - 91)
Talking about Brazilian wonderkids, there was no one with more hype than Neymar. In 2013 he secured an €88.2 million move from Santos FC to FC Barcelona and was rated 84 on FIFA 14 with a potential of 91.
In 2014, with the arrival of Luis Suarez from Liverpool, one of the most dominant 'front-three's in world football nicknamed as MSN (Short for Messi Neymar Suarez) took shape.
He won two La Liga titles and a Champions League title with the Blaugrana before moving to PSG in 2017 in a whopping €222 million move.
Neymar has won three Ligue 1 titles. He finished third in the Ballon D'or rankings twice and has had a 92 rating in FIFA for the last 4 years. So I think it's safe to say he surpassed his predicted FIFA 14 potential.
#1: Mario Gotze (Rating - 85, Potential - 90)
In 2013, Mario Gotze was wanted by many clubs. He had a rating of 85 and a potential of 92 in FIFA 14.
After a Champions League final loss with Borussia Dortmund, Gotze made the move to Dortmund's opponents Bayern Munich. The next year, he sent German fans into euphoria after netting the winner in the World Cup final against Argentina.
However, since then, he has not managed to put in consistent performances and was sold back to Borussia Dortmund in 2016. He failed to make a lasting impression in his former, and in 2020 finds himself without a club.
In fairness, Gotze has played at a high level but nowhere near the level that was predicted back in 2013 as his highest rating of 86 came in FIFA 15.
