The latest edition of our favorite football game, EA Sports FIFA 17 is set to release in a month. The much-awaited game is coming out on multiple gaming platforms including PS3, PS4, XBox One, XBox 360 and PC. The game will release on 27th September in the USA, and on 29th September in rest of the world (India included).
With a plethora of new features like “The Journey”, where a young rookie lives out his dream of playing in the Premier League, and the new Frostbite engine, which was previously used by EA Dice in Battlefield will add a lot of ‘feel’ to this new mode and the entire game, as a whole.
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FIFA has also changed the way set-pieces are taken, and AI players will make more intelligent runs. Marco Reus was voted by fans’ all over the world as the FIFA 17 cover star, replacing Lionel Messi.
Let’s take a look at the Top 10 strongest players in FIFA 17:
#10 Kendall Watson – Vancouver Whitecaps FC – 74
The man from MLS kicks off our top 10 list. Kendall Watson will get an overall rating of 74 in FIFA’s latest. Watson plays an important role at the heart of Vancouver’s defense but did not have the best of season’s last year, as they finished second from the bottom in the Western Conference.
The Costa Rican started his footballing career at Costa Rican club, Saprissa. He spent 8 seasons at the club, making just 41 appearances and chipped in with 8 goals. Of the 8 seasons at the club, Watson spent 6 seasons on loan across various South American and European clubs.
The 28-year is a strong presence at the heart of the defense and has excellent aerial abilities to score goals and intercept. Watson remains an integral part of the Vancouver based club.
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#9 Florian Ballas – Dynamo Dresden – 67
The young German is at No.9 on the list. With an overall rating of 67, Ballas will be one of the strongest players in the game. He recently completed a move to Bundesliga 2 club, Dynamo Dresden, after a pretty good season in Bundesliga last year.
The 23-year old’s physicality gives him an edge over the opposition attackers, but he certainly needs more work on his defensive skills. He made 34 appearances for Frankfurt last season, and also managed to score one goal.
Ballas is a work in progress, but if you want to go for a young and strong CB, he might be your man.
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#8 Colin Bonner – FC Dallas – 60
Another player from MLS makes the list. The forward is very strong and is a menace for defenders. Bonner is a bright prospect for American football, as he combines strength with good finishing. He has 33 goals in his MLS career.
Bonner started his career with Wilmington Seahawks and was at his peak then. He joined the club in 2012 when he was 18 and scored 23 goals in the next 3 seasons. The American then moved to DC United and finally to his current club, FC Dallas in 2015.
Bonner made only one appearance for Dallas before he was sent out on loan to Oklahoma City Energy. The 22-year old will look to regain his form at Oklahoma this season.
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#7 Hakeem Araba – Falkenbergs FF – 62
The Englishman is currently plying his trade at Swedish club, Falkenbergs. At just 25, he has played for 14 clubs. He was a squad player in most of the clubs, not even getting a single game in some clubs before finally getting some first-team football at Falkenbergs.
Araba started his footballing career at Peterborough United and went on to play for Bolton before relocating from England. The 25-year old went on to play in the 5th tier, 6th tier and semi-professional football in the English league.
He did not have much luck in his home country and moved to Greece where he played for Panthrakikos. Araba joined Falkenberg last season and has scored 9 goals in 41 appearances for the club.
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#6 Jannik Vestergaard - Borussia Monchengladbach – 79
One of the more recognized players in the list, Jannik Vestergaard is at No. 6. The central defender has a very strong presence at the back and recently moved from Werder Bremen after an excellent season at the club.
The Danish international is one of the most promising defenders in the German league and has been a vital part of Bremen’s defense last season. He is solid at the back and is an aerial threat, both on the attack and defense.
The 24-year old still has a long way to go, but the starting signs have certainly been very good for the Danish international.
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#5 Wilfried Bony – Stoke City – 81
Wilfred Bony was one of the revelations of 2014-15 season with Swansea City and completed a move to the blue side of Manchester in the next transfer window. He struggled to find first-team football on a consistent basis but did manage to score 6 goals in the limited time.
With Pep Guardiola taking over Manchester City, Bony fell out of the Spaniards plan as he brought in 11 new signings. The Ivory Coast international was loaned out to Stoke City, and he’s in desperate need of a season like 2014/15.
Stoke City have a pretty strong team with players like Xherdan Shaqiri, Bruno Martins Indi, Joe Allen and Bojan. Bony can expect good deliveries to him with so many class players in the rank, and if he can do the basics right, Guardiola might fancy him for a return to the Etihad.
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#4 Abdoul Ba – RC Lens – 65
The man from Ligue 1 is an absolute rock at the heart of Lens’ defense. He joined Lens’ academy when he was 14, and after playing for 6 years at the youth level, the man from Senegal made his debut for the senior side in 2014.
Ba represents Mauritania at the international level and has made 11 appearances for his country since his debut in 2013. The central defender is solid at the back but is yet to register a goal in professional football.
Ba is essentially a squad rotation player, but with time on his hands, he will look to establish himself as a first-team name.
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#3 Roman Torres – Seattle Sounders – 72
Man, the blokes from MLS are really strong, aren’t they? Yet another player from American football makes it to the list. Torres has an overall rating of 72 and fills in at centre-back.
The Panama international has played football across clubs in the American continents- Panama, Brazil, Colombia and the USA. He is an integral part of his national side and is just a few appearances away from 100 international matches.
The 30-year old joined Seattle last year and is struggling to find a first team place with intense competition for a spot from Brad Evans and Tyrone Mears.
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#2 George Elokobi – Colchester United – 63
The League 2 footballer makes it to the top 2 of this list. Elokobi is one of the strongest players in world football, which clearly justifies his presence so high up in the list. He moved across multiple English clubs before finally returning to Colchester last season.
He played for Colchester before in 2004 and made 39 appearances, from which he chipped in with a couple of goals. Elokobi played for a number of Championship clubs including Wolves ad Nottingham Forest, and also a couple of League One clubs.
The 30-year old is at the brink of his footballing career but still, has gas in the tank for a few more seasons. The man from Cameroon is yet to get an international call-up.
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#1 Adebayo Akinfenwa – Wycombe Wanderers – 64
The lifelong Liverpool and Stevie G fan, Akinfewa retains the spot of FIFA’s strongest player. Akinfewa is an absolute beast and is a menace for defenders. He weighs 101 kg and can weightlift up to 200 kg. However, his build sometimes makes his work of a forward, difficult. He lacks agility and athleticism.
Rightly nicknamed as ‘The Beast’, Akinfewa has been vocal about his support for Liverpool, and one of the best moments of this life was when he took on Liverpool, in the Reds’ clash with AFC Wimbledon.
The 34-year old is clearly in the twilight of his career, and his dream of playing at Anfield might remain unfulfilled. Akinfewa has 170 career goals to his name, and will look to end his career on a high.
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