There are few things which satisfy a footballer as much as watching the net bulge after unleashing a shot of tremendous power which threatens to finally break its resistance and tear it apart. Theo Walcott memorably achieved this feat against Blackburn in 2010 for Arsenal.
While instances of a shot breaking the net are scarce, there are some players who threaten to do this on a regular basis. Stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic possess rasping shots which keepers would be in two minds to try to save.
The Swede’s shot almost broke the hand of Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton earlier this year. A full blooded Ibrahimovic shot on FIFA 17 does indeed look powerful enough to break a goalkeeper's arm in reality and while Zlatan’s shot power is pretty evident in the game, there are also other footballers who can really make a ball travel.
We list those five players whose shots are by far the most powerful in the game.
#5 Aleksandar Kolarov (91)
Manchester City’s Aleksandar Kolarov is known for generating unbelievable amounts of power when lining up a shot with his left foot. Whether those shots hit the target or result in an end product is a different matter altogether, but there is no doubting the power in the Serb’s legs.
Efficiency aside, there are few players in the Premier League who can rival the Serb solely on the basis of shot power. The closest rival to the Serb in the Premier League (apart from Ibrahimovic) is Hull City’s Tom Huddlestone who has the eight strongest shot in the game.
We feel EA have quite rightly given Kolarov a shot power rating of 91 for his cannonball of a shot. On the other hand, a finishing rating of 55 for the Manchester City defender is justified thanks to his wastefulness in front of goal.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo (92)
The Portuguese winger-striker has made a habit of scoring goals from outrageous distances throughout his career. Memorable goals include THAT 42-yard strike against Porto in the Champions League for Manchester United and a free-kick from a similar distance against Arsenal that led the club to the semi-finals of the tournament.
His highlight reel with Real Madrid also boasts quite a few unstoppable shots and free-kicks from a distance while his close range shots seem to possess enough power to rip the net on some occasions.
On FIFA 17 too, Ronaldo’s shooting packs enough punch to literally go through any goalkeeper who tries to parry his shot wide. The ball inevitably ends up going inside the net with the power Ronaldo puts behind his shots, which is bound to happen with EA giving him a rating of 92 for shot power.
#3 Lukas Podolski (92)
The German attacker recently signed off from the international stage in style, whistling a 35-yard shot into the top corner versus against England. If this wasn’t a fitting farewell, Podolski was also substituted off the pitch to the glorious background track of Russell Crowe starring Hollywood flick, Gladiator.
Over the years, Podolski has made a name for himself as an attacker with one of the hardest shots in the game. Memorable instances of unbelievable power seen from the German includes his sledgehammer for Arsenal against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals in 2014 and a memorable strike for Germany versus Russia in the World Cup qualifiers which left Igor Akinfeev standing.
While Podolski’s importance on the field may have waned with age and its resulting complications like the lack of speed, his left peg has remained as powerful as ever. For FIFA 17, EA gave him a shot power rating of 92, which is the third highest in the game.
#2 Naldo (92)
A highly unexpected entry on the list, the Brazilian-German central defender has the second most powerful shot in the entire FIFA 17 roster. Nicknamed “The Beast” during his time at Werder Bremen for his size and athletic style of play, the central defender now plays for another German club, Schalke 04, and is thought to be one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga.
Naldo is a towering figure at 1.98 metres and is a massive threat from set-pieces. What sets him apart from other defenders is his stupendous shot power; he has been known to strike the ball in excess of 60 m/ph while taking free-kicks for Bremen and now Schalke 04.
Taking this extraordinary shot power into account, EA gave the Schalke 04 defender a shot power of 92, which sees him become the player with the second highest shot power in the game.
#1 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (93)
From the 40-yard overhead kick which bamboozled Joe Hart to iconic net busters in his exploits for teams all over Europe, the Swedish hitman has scored a horde of memorable belters throughout his long-winding career. Now playing the role of "God of Manchester" for the Red Devils, the Swede fittingly opened his Manchester United account with a rasping low drive from 30 yards against Bournemouth.
Such is the power in the Swede’s legs, that he was once recorded scoring a 150km/hr cannonball against Anderlecht in the Champions League. The Swede's shot power has remained consistent as he has aged, with a few goals for former club Paris Saint-Germain also clocking more than 100 km/hr.
EA have certainly taken into account Zlatan’s shot power, giving him a shot power rating of 93. This rating is the highest shot power in the game, giving him the capability to unleash a powerful drive from anywhere on the pitch.
