What’s the story?
French midfielder N’Golo Kante’s golden run is showing no sign of abating. He won the Premier League with Leicester City last year and is currently a mainstay in the engine room of a dominant Chelsea team which is at the top of the table. As of last night, he also received the honour of the Player’s Player of the Year where professional footballers in the league pick the best player of the season from their own ranks, a very high compliment indeed.
Not only is Kante at the top of his game on the pitch, he is also ruling the roost in the FIFA 17 realm with a new 92 rated Player of the Year (POTY) card released in his honour after being crowned the best player in England.
Along with Kante, a similar rise has been seen in the case of Tottenham’s Dele Alli, who was rated only 61 in FIFA 15 but has managed to rise to a rating of 82 with a potential of 90 in FIFA 17. Alli has also won the Men's PFA Young Player of the Year for the second year running.
In case you didn’t know...
Kante rose to prominence last season with Leicester City after Claudio Ranieri brought him to England from Ligue 1. He was simply sensational last season and Leicester’s drop this season is a kind of twisted testament to the Chelsea man’s ability.
On the FIFA series too, Kante has enjoyed a similarly meteoric rise. One of football’s unknowns in FIFA 15, the former Caen man was rated at an overall of only 73 but his ratings rose with his relentless performances which were instrumental to Leicester’s title triumph. He was then signed by Chelsea in the summer transfer window and was rated at 83 with a potential of 86 in FIFA 17.
Alli, meanwhile, first attracted attention with his impressive performance in MK Dons’ 4-0 win over Manchester United in the early days of Louis van Gaal’s reign. He was then signed by Tottenham Hotspur and the rest, as they say, is history.
The heart of the matter
Kante has taken his title-winning credentials with him to the Blues where he has helped Antonio Conte stamp his mark on the league. His performances have only increased in stature, making him the subject of multiple FIFA upgrades throughout the season.
He eventually won the Player’s Player of the Year with his performances for Chelsea and was honoured with 92 FIFA card boasting attributes of Pace (90), Dribbling (92), Defence (92), Physical (94) and a Passing rating of 91.
Tottenham’s Dele Alli, on the other hand, is an attacking midfielder. His updated card is rated at 91 with attributes of Dribbling (91), Pace (88), Shooting (93), and 90 each for passing and physical attributes in honour of his brilliant season for Spurs.
What next?
Kante is only 27 years old and should reach his absolute peak in the coming years where he will also have the opportunity to play Champions League football for the first time in his career. His stamina and physicality will not be on the wane for at least the next two years and it remains to be seen whether he seeks a move to one of the continental giants or stays in England with Chelsea.
Alli, meanwhile is only 20 years of age and as per FIFA’s potential ratings, is expected to be one of the best players in the world come 2025. His FIFA ratings are only set to improve as the Englishman’s career follows an upward path. Expect his FIFA ratings to have a meteoric rise in the coming seasons.
Author's take
It is nice to see EA promptly recognise player achievements and honour them for their performances on the pitch but they do tend to get a little carried away sometimes. As good as N’Golo Kante has been this season, there is no way his dribbling is equivalent to that of Cristiano Ronaldo on FIFA or in reality.
EA and the rating experts with FIFA should try and make the game as realistic as possible rather than engaging in hyperbole with unrealistic ratings to players
