What’s the story?
When Cristiano Ronaldo was given the tag of the highest rated player in FIFA 17 with a rating of 94, the developers at EA Sports had to face a lot of flak. Everyone was of the opinion that no player should be rated so highly in the game, no matter how good they are in real life.
However, if you cast your mind a few years into the past, you might remember that back in the day, giving the best players a rating of 95-96 was a normality.
As reported by DreamTeam FC, the highest rated player in FIFA 03, who received a rating of 97, was a major surprise. His name was Matteo Brighi.
In case you didn’t know…
Back in 2002, when FIFA 03 was released, the likes of Lionel Messi and Ronaldo were mere hot prospects who were on the rise. Brighi, on the other hand, was regarded as one of the brightest talents in Italian football. By 2002, he had already featured for the Italian U-21 side and had even won Serie A’s Young Footballer of the Year.
The heart of the matter
While many had expected that 2003 Ballon d’Or winner, Pavel Nedved, or Zinedine Zidane or even Thierry Henry would be the highest rated player in FIFA 03, it was not to be. In fact, that honour went to the much-lesser known Brighi.
The player was given a ridiculous rating of 97 putting him ahead of all the other central midfielders in the game. He was an absolute FIFA legend and even had the potential to climb up to the magical 99 figure in the game.
Also read: How to get Ronaldinho in FIFA 17
However, in reality, he never quite realised his true potential and after brief stints at Juventus, Parma, Roma, Torino, Sassuolo, and Bologna in the Italian top division, he ended up at his current club Perugia. The 36-year-old did earn four national caps but never did anything to justify his 97 rating.
What’s next?
It is unlikely that we will get to see such high ratings in any FIFA edition in the future. While numerous players do have the potential to make it to the 90s it is unlikely that anyone will breach the 95 barrier in the foreseeable future. Unless, of course, either of Ronaldo or Messi plunders in 100 goals in a season!
Sportskeeda’s Take
EA doesn’t always get things wrong, but this was one rare instance. Rating Brighi so highly in FIFA 03 will probably go down as the biggest blunder in the game’s history. It was, though, an absolute pleasure to have him on the team.
