The latest FIFA instalment from EA Sports is just a few weeks away and the biggest talking point, apart from Marco Reus being chosen as the cover athlete, has been Cristiano Ronaldo’s rating in the game.
Lionel Messi has been the highest rated star player in recent FIFA games but the fact that Ronaldo triumphed with his Portugal side in Euro 2016 and also won the Champions League with Real Madrid edged him ahead of his Argentine rival.
While Ronaldo basks in glory and a 94 rating, there are a number of players who are also world beaters and have a 90+ rating. Messi is at 93 and his Barcelona teammate Neymar is on 92. Luis Suarez, another Barcelona star is on 92 while Manuel Neuer is the highest rated goalkeeper with a rating of 92 as well.
There are others who too have got a decent rating but over the years a number of stars have spoken out about their ratings in the FIFA games. The developers and coders actually spend a number of months charting the performances of the footballers before finalising on the ratings but opinions are always divided as to why the shooting stat was an 80 and not a 90.
Without further ado, here are 6 players who spoke out about their ratings (or rather lack of) across various FIFA games.
1) Harry Kane – FIFA 17
FIFA 17 isn’t out yet and people are already complaining about it. Harry Kane did win the Premier League Golden boot last season and helped Tottenham finish third but that was not enough for the Englishman it seems.
The Spurs striker was speaking to Copa90 when they were revealing his stats for the best selling game. Kane did see an overall improvement in his numbers as he rose from 78 to 84 but could not hide his disappointment about his shooting stats.
"I think shooting has got to be in the 90s and defending, I think, has gone down a bit from the last one. My defending of corners is quite good. I would like to see that one improve. The passing could definitely be a bit higher and better than 71."
We don’t know about his defending abilities but the Englishman is yet to find the back of the net this season. Also, it probably was a good thing the people at EA did not show Kane’s stats regarding curve and free-kicks, we all remember his corners at Euro 2016.
2) Samir Nasri – FIFA 15
The former Manchester City winger was at one stage one of the brightest players in the Premier League. But that was during his wonderful days at Arsenal; now the 29-year-old plays at Sevilla, on loan, and is looking to resurrect his Manchester City career.
A couple of seasons ago, Nasri was still in the form of his life or at least we would like to believe that and the developers at FIFA asked him about his thoughts on his in-game avatar and the stats.
“I'm not quite happy with my speed in the game, especially because I play on the winger”, the player said.
Nasri was also open to the fact that gamers would actually pick other players who are quicker. “You want someone a bit quicker than what I am in the game.”
The Frenchman did reveal his speed was an 81 or 82 but he was not pleased with the stat. To be honest, an 80+ speed rating is decent enough for the attacker. There are other wingers that are quicker than him and certainly deserved a higher rating than the two-time Premier League champion.
3) Nuri Sahin – FIFA 16
The one-time poster boy of Turkish football, Nuri Sahin has not had the best of years since his move away from Borussia Dortmund. The midfielder joined Real Madrid and then Liverpool (on loan) but failed to impress either side and now is back at the Bundesliga club.
The 28-year-old is known for his passing ability but speaking before the launch of FIFA 16, he stated that he was pleased with his 81 rating in the game, especially due to the fact that he was out injured for a while.
“I was injured for almost a year so I think they were gracious with me. It’s always like that when you’re not playing, you drop off.”
The Turk was a little perplexed about his heading rating which was 47 in FIFA 16. “I’ll be honest: Headers are one of my strengths. I can’t understand why I just got a 47.”
Coming from him is a little weird seeing that he is a little short and winning headers does not come easy for “vertically challenged” people. Later on, the midfielder stated that he wanted at least a 77 for his heading ability, not that it was going to happen anyway.
4) Hakan Calhanoglu – FIFA 16
The Turkish attacker is one of the best players when it comes to taking free-kicks. Calhanoglu has made a name for himself at Bayer Leverkusen for his incredible free-kicks and the 22-year-old did have a bit of a pot-shot at the developers of FIFA 16 for not giving him a high enough rating.
“I think I should be higher for FKs and shot power. Please make me more aggressive, so I’m able to win more duels.”
The weird thing about all this is that Calhanoglu was already given an 87 for his shot power in that edition of FIFA and had a 95 rating for free-kicks. We know he might be super during dead ball situations but certainly a rating higher than 95 would only be reserved for super humans.
5) Rio Ferdinand – FIFA 15
Rio Ferdinand was often the highest rated English defender in FIFA, especially during his Manchester United days but the now-retired footballer was playing for QPR in 2014 and the move from United to Rangers did see his ratings take a bit of a dive.
Ferdinand was candid regarding his dip in stats and even questioned the developers and coders who rated him for the game.
“I don't know who is doing the stats at EA headquarters, but if you want me to come down and talk to you face to face I'll do that.”
The English defender even asked the team to elevate the stats of the QPR team to the right level, but that would not have helped the side stave off relegation that season. Ferdinand also questioned his lack of pace in the game but trailed off saying that he used to be quick, well he was not quick enough for QPR in that 2014-15 season.
6) Eden Hazard – FIFA 15
This is not stats related but certainly worth mentioning. Eden Hazard probably should not have had a lot to complain about his stats in FIFA 15. He was a rising star for Chelsea and was just about to win a Premier League title with them in the 2014-15 season.
The Belgian was one of the cover athletes for the game but he still had an issue with his appearance.
“I am too small”, stated the diminutive Chelsea and Belgium winger.
“I need more three or five centimetres”, added the attacker. Certainly, a low centre of gravity helps the Premier League Player of the season from 2014-15 but nitpicking on a few centimetres, really? Although many Chelsea fans would still get riled up regarding centimetres, Luis Garcia ghost goal anyone?
