A couple of weeks into my love affair with EA Sports' FIFA 17 and this game does not offer much to criticise. Whether it's playing as Alex Hunter in the brand new Journey mode or earning the bragging rights over your friends after beating them, it's been a thoroughly amazing experience.
However, as is the case every year, the ratings of some showboating players are often given massive boosts while players who have put in incredible performances over the last season are rewarded a lowly rating.
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The story is no different in this edition as well. Football fans might be biased when they see their favourite player being rated a little less generously. However, this time around their arguments might just be justified.
The EA developers have done their bit to give a never-before experience to FIFA enthusiasts around the world. With the new Frostbite engine powering FIFA's flagship football game this year, FIFA 17 has been unanimously dubbed as the best footballing video game currently.
Here, we take a look at five such players who were unlucky be grossly underrated in FIFA 17.
#5 Hector Bellerin (FIFA 17 rating: 79)
Spanish full-back Hector Bellerin rose to prominence primarily during a breath-taking last season. He was Arsenal’s top defender as the London side finished second in the Premier League. The player had his initial training at Barcelona before joining Arsenal in 2011,
In the 2015-16 Premier League season, he had a tackle success rate of 81%. Bellerin made 85 clearances, 31 headed clearance and 66 interceptions.Arsenal had the highest number of clean sheets in the league with 18 and Bellerin was one of the mainstays in the defence.
The 21-year-old, who is regarded as one of the fastest players in the Premier League, also scored two goals and provided five assists. He was a danger to the opposition while going forward and created nine big chances. The highlight of his season was his assist against Bayern Munich in a Champions League fixture at home when he suddenly burst into a crazy speed as he won the ball and ran down the byline before squaring it for Mesut Ozil to finish.
The stats show that a rating of only 79 is not justified. However, considering his young age, a rating of 83 should have been apt for the pacey defender.
#4 Sadio Mane (FIFA 17 Rating: 79)
The former Southampton winger, Sadio Mane, moved to Liverpool in the summer for a reported fee of £34m after having spent two spectacular seasons at St. Mary’s Stadium. Last season he finished as Southampton's top scorer with 15 goals in all competitions.
Mane’s dribbling ability is his main strength – the close control, the mazy runs, the skillful footwork and sudden acceleration has left defenders bamboozled. He has been one of the most consistent players in the Premier League netting 21 times from open play and assisting nine goals in his two seasons as a Saints player.
In the 2015-16 season, he had a slow start to the season, before coming back strongly and even scored an incredible hat-trick in the 4-2 win over Manchester City. Overall he scored 11 goals in 37 Premier League appearances and assisted six times. Mane had 86 shots on goal and created 9 big scoring chances. He contributed defensively as well as he made 54 tackles at a success rate of 72%, an incredible stat for a forward.
The 24-year-old Senegal international deserves a higher rating in FIFA, which currently read as 79. While most players got a boost, the developers might not be very big fans of Mane and that could be the only fathomable reason for his low rating. In my opinion, a rating of 84 should have been justified.
#3 Mauro Icardi (FIFA 17 rating: 82)
Argentine striker Mauro Icardi is one of the most underrated footballers in the world right now. He started his football training at Barcelona but moved to Italy in 2011 and joined Inter Milan in 2013. The 2014-15 season marked his rise as he became the joint top scorer in the Serie A scoring 22 goals in 36 appearances.
Before the start of the 2015-16 season, Icardi was announced as the new captain of the club. Although sidelined by injury in the first half of the season he made a strong comeback as he found the net 16 times in 32 games and assisted four times. He created 32 scoring chances and made 28 key passes.
His incredible goal scoring record has been largely unnoticed and has made just one appearance for the national side in 2013. However, the 23-year-old is one of the most lethal strikers in Italy. There is no doubt in his abilities as he has started this season strongly scoring six goals in seven games and assisting two more.
The striker has been rated just 82 whereas other forwards have got massive upgrades in their ratings. A rating of 85 would be more appropriate in my opinion and the stats are there to prove it.
#2 Marcus Rashford (FIFA 17 rating: 76)
English teenage sensation Marcus Rashford burst into the scene when he scored a brace on debut for Premier League giants Manchester United in early 2016. United had lost the first leg of the Europa League fixture against Midtjylland FC and was without the services of Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial, who had missed out through injury. Under these circumstances, an 18-year-old boy saved the 20-time Premier League winners the blushes by helping his side to a 5-1 victory.
Rashford’s incredible rise continued as he scored another brace on his Premier League debut and provided the assist for the third goal in the 3-2 win against rivals Arsenal. He went on to score the solitary goal of the Manchester derby after fooling Martin Demichelis, a goal which made him the youngest ever scorer in the derby.He ended his debut season with five goals in 11 appearances along with two assists to his name.
Considering, that he is so young, a rating of 76 seems justifiable. However, if one takes into account his performances and impact for United and the national side, the rating seems absurd. He is fast, is at the right place at the right moment and is fearless, which is his biggest attribute. I cannot wait to see what kind of player he becomes in the next couple of a season, and going by his performances, a rating of 80 would have been better.
#1 N’Golo Kante (FIFA 17 rating: 81)
Unsurprisingly one of Leicester City’s heroes from last season, N’Golo Kante, finds a place in this list and few will disagree. The French midfielder joined the Foxes from Ligue 1 side SC Caen for a reported fee of £5.6 million and was an integral part of the Premier League winners. In this summer, he joined Antonio Conte’s Chelsea for a fee of £32 million.
The defensive midfielder’s contribution to the game has been lauded many times in the previous season, with some experts even mentioning how he is omnipresent everywhere the ball is. His energy and work-rate are second to none in the Premier League.
Kante made 196 tackles in the League, which is the highest number of tackles in England, and made an incredible 170 interceptions, also a Premier League record. While his defensive record was unmatched, he often contributed to the attack being the starting point of most of Leicester’s attacks. He scored one goal in 37 appearances and assisted four times.
With such an incredible statistical record, the 25-year-old definitely deserves a much higher rating than 81. If Jack Wilshere has been rated 82, Kante should be at least 86-87 in the game, which makes sense keeping his performance in mind.
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