“Let’s play the ratings game!” 6 FIFA player ratings controversies from years gone by

It’s that time of the year again! FIFA 23’s release edges ever closer with each passing second and the annual controversy about players’ ratings is already in full swing. 

Whether it’s Harry Kane getting a higher rating than Mo Salah, Marc-André ter Stegen edging out the likes of Ederson, Alison and Courtois to take the metaphorical “Golden Ratings Glove” or Lewandowski being rated higher than Ronaldo, the debate about ratings continues to rage on.

So, with this in mind, we thought there’s no better time than the present to take a look back at some of the most controversial player ratings that FIFA has served up down the years.

Contents:

1. Matteo Brighi (FIFA 03)
2. Kieron Dyer (FIFA 05)
3. Scott Brown (FIFA 08)
4. Cris (FIFA 07)
5. Luis Suarez (FIFA 11)
6. Alexis Sanchez (FIFA 19)
7. Petr Cech (FIFA 17)

Matteo Brighi

We kick things off (pun very much intended) this week by looking back to FIFA 03, which saw none other than Matteo Brighi see off fierce competition from the likes of Figo, Zidane and the original Ronaldo to be crowned king of the game with a stonking 97 rating.

Although he was regarded as a promising talent, Brighi was still relatively unknown at the time and failed to live up to his in-game promise in real life. After leaving Juventus in 2002, he became something of a journeyman in Serie A before retiring at Empoli in 2019.

Kieron Dyer

We’re sticking with midfielders now for this week’s second player, Kieron Dyer, who had an 88 rating, as well as 98 potential, in FIFA 05. Although Dyer had proven himself to be a key player for The Magpies at this point, it would be a bit of a stretch to say that he was better than the likes of Wayne Rooney, Roberto Carlos and Xavi.

Interestingly, Dyer’s rating was exactly the same as Cristiano Ronaldo’s in FIFA 05 which will no doubt have the former England midfielder wondering what could have been if he’d avoided injuries later in his career. 

Scott Brown

We shift our attention to the final member of our midfield trio now with Scott Brown, who scored a whopping 86 rating on FIFA 08. Whilst we don’t want to stop on any Celtic fans’ toes here, even the most diehard of The Bhoys’ followers would admit that their tenacious midfielder was ever on a par with prime Fernando Torres and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Cris

Time for a bit of overpowered Brazilian defensive steel now with Cris, who’s 89 rating on FIFA 07 meant he was the 8th best player in the entire game, ahead of compatriot Kaka who went on to win the Ballon d’Or in 2007. 

While the former Lyon man was a solid defender who had a decent career that included 17 appearances for the Brazilian national side, not many football fans would say that he was ever as good as his rating in this game suggested.

Luis Suarez

Not all players are lucky enough to be blessed with being overpowered in FIFA games, as Luis Suarez found out in FIFA 11. At the time of this game’s release, Suarez was coming off the back of an eye-catching (not always for the right reasons, mind you) display at the 2010 World Cup, as well as an absolute barnstormer of a season for Ajax which saw him smash in 49 goals in 48 games.

How did EA respond? By giving Suarez an 82 rating, which was the same as Arsenal misfit Marouane Chamakh. Needless to say, Suarez went from strength to strength in years to come, whereas you probably wouldn’t have even remembered Chamakh if we hadn’t mentioned him.

Alexis Sanchez

Of course, Suarez is far from the only South American forward to be “blessed” with a FIFA rating that didn’t reflect his ability. Such an honour also befell Alexis Sanchez in FIFA 19 as he somehow managed to bag an 87 rating. Whilst Sanchez was a genuinely exciting talent in his prime, it was pretty clear that his best days were behind him when FIFA 19 came out in September 2018.

Perhaps EA just really believed that his move to Man United was going to work out?

Petr Cech

We round things off this week with one of Sanchez’s ex-Arsenal teammates, Petr Cech. Whilst there’s no denying that the Czech shot stopper was an absolute colossus of a goalkeeper back at his peak, few would argue that he was a bit over the hill when left Chelsea for local rivals Arsenal back in 2015. 

With that in mind, it’s even more perplexing that EA decided to give him an 88 rating in FIFA 17. 

Who knows? Maybe they’re just really big fans of keepers who wear head gear?