This unknown defender is faster than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on FIFA 17

What’s the story?

Little known defender Anibal Chala, plays as a full-back for MLS club FC Dallas and his claim to fame is that he is quicker than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on FIFA 17.

The 20-year old’s overall rating might not be the most impressive at a rating of 66, but his standout attribute of pace is as high as that of Borussia Dortmund’s Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with both players having a sprint speed rating of 96, faster than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on FIFA 17.

In case you didn’t know…

Anibal Chala is a 20-year-old Ecuadorian full-back who turned professional at the age of 16. He played for Ecuadorian top-flight El Nacional for three years, making over 110 appearances for the club in his three years there.

His performances for El Nacional also earned him a call-up to the U-20 Ecuadorian youth side. FC Dallas recognised the youngster’s potential and signed him up in 2016, making him the second Ecuadorian player on their roster.

The heart of the matter

The youngster’s speed rating on FIFA is a game best of 96 which puts him on an equal footing with the fastest player in the game, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Ronaldo and Messi have sprint speed ratings of 92 and 87 respectively.

Chala narrowly misses out on being the joint top fastest player in the game as his Gabonese rival has better acceleration attributes of 95 compared to the Ecuadorian’s rating of 92. In spite of this slight difference, the youngster’s pace on FIFA makes him must have to counter the exceptionally fast forwards that FIFA teams have to face on a regular basis.

What’s next?

Chala is a skilful, attacking full-back and is highly rated and great things are expected of him in the future.

This was evident from the comments of FC Dallas technical director who said, “We’ve been watching him for about a year and when you come up with a player like this, who has been with his youth national team and you have an opportunity to grab him, you grab him.”

Author’s Take

Exceptional speed has always been a massive boon on FIFA whether one is looking for a forward to score goals or a rapid defender to stop them from going in. An attacking defender thus brings the best of both worlds to a team; a role that Marcelo for Real Madrid or Jordi Alba for Spain and Barcelona do so efficiently.

Anibal Chala has the potential to be a similar player for FIFA FUT sides, representing a bargain buy with good potential who can help in both attacking and defensive phases of play.