EA SPORTS™ FIFA 14, the latest installment in the top-selling video game series, hits the shelves worldwide today. The award winning franchise is now in its 21st year and whilst a host of new game play features have sent excitement levels soaring amongst gamers, it’s the latest update of the player ratings that will set tongues wagging within the football fraternity.
The player ratings are a source of hot debate amongst gamers and professional footballers with the likes of Rio Ferdinand taking to twitter in the past to voice his displeasure at diminishing pace stats†. So, to fuel the discussion, EA SPORTS has exclusively revealed the best players in the new game based on a variety of attributes listed in FIFA Ultimate Team. The stats reveal:
• Manchester United has three of the top five finishers in the Premier League…
• Arsenal is home to two of the top five fastest players in the Premier League…
• Barcelona trio Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas are the game’s top three passers…
• Both sides of Manchester are represented in the game’s top five defenders…
• There’s an unexpected name in the Premier League’s most skilful players…
• Five Premier League players have a perfect weak foot, including a Tiger and a Hammer…
The EA SPORTS team analyse footage from all over the world to create a formula for player ratings, making the game’s ratings the ultimate benchmark of the best footballers in the world. We take a look at the best players based on their FIFA Ultimate Team rating.
FOR GOALS… SIGN UP MANCHESTER UNITED STRIKEFORCE
With FIFA 14 offering improved “pure shot” technology, scoring goals will feel more rewarding than ever before. For gamers looking to take advantage of this, Manchester United have three of the Premier League’s top five finishers. New Spurs signing Roberto Soldado jumps straight into third place among the Premier League’s strikers, while Sergio Aguero represents the blue half of Manchester in second place:
Best finishers in the Premier League:
1 Manchester United van Persie, Robin
2 Manchester City Agüero, Sergio
3 Tottenham Hotspur Soldado Rillo, Roberto
4 Manchester United Hernández, Javier
5 Manchester United Rooney, Wayne
FOR PACE… HEAD TO NORTH LONDON, LA LIGA, OR THE BUNDESLIGA
Gamers will benefit from new sprint dribble turns in the game this year, with players able to utilise quick, explosive cuts and turns to beat defenders one-on-one with the ball. That makes speed an even more powerful weapon in the game. Arsenal are the only team to have two players in the Premier League’s top five fastest players, with Ryo Miyaichi a hidden gem of pace. Meanwhile, Serie A contributes two players to the list of the world’s fastest, and Mathis Bolly of the Bundesliga’s second tier is the only player not playing in their country’s top division to make the top 5 globally in any of the criteria released by EA SPORTS.
Fastest players in the Premier League:
1 Arsenal Walcott, Theo
2 Arsenal Miyaichi, Ryo
3 Newcastle United Rémy, Loïc
4 Tottenham Hotspur Walker, Kyle
5 Aston Villa Agbonlahor, Gabriel
Fastest players in the world:
1 Parma Biabiany, Jonathan
2 Fortuna Düsseldorf Bolly, Mathis
3 Arsenal Walcott, Theo
4 Borussia Dortmund Aubameyang, Pierre-Emerick
5 Cagliari Ibarbo, Víctor
FOR PASSING… BRING IN BRITTON OR BARGAIN WITH BARCA
It will come as a surprise to few that Barcelona contribute three of the top five passers of the ball in FIFA 14, with Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas taking the top slots. With FIFA 14 placing a greater emphasis on building up play through midfield thanks to improved team mate intelligence and a more realistic variation in dribble touches, Barcelona’s pass masters become even more valuable to Ultimate team managers. In the Premier League, Swansea fans will be delighted to see Leon Britton ranked fourth in the League for passing, and the top ranked English player ahead of Manchester United’s Michael Carrick, making him an astute signing for your Ultimate Team.
Top 5 passers in the world:
1 FC Barcelona Hernández Creus, Xavier
2 FC Barcelona Iniesta Luján, Andrés
3 FC Barcelona Fàbregas i Soler, Francesc
4 Juventus Pirlo, Andrea
5 Real Madrid Modrić, Luka
Top 5 passers in the Premier League:
1 Manchester City Jimenez Silva, David Josué
2 Arsenal Özil, Mesut
3 Chelsea Mata García, Juan Manuel
4 Swansea City Britton, Leon
5 Manchester United Carrick, Michael
FOR DRIBBLING… MIRROR CHELSEA AND SPURS’ SUMMER SIGNINGS
FIFA 14 has transformed dribbling, with player skill greatly impacting on their control when running with the ball. If you’re used to holding down sprint and retaining the ball then you’ll need to rethink your game, and bring in players from Bayern or Barca to your Ultimate Team. The Bundesliga champions have two of the top five players in the game for dribbling in Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, while the Catalan giants have three in Messi, Neymar, and Iniesta. Premier League fans can look forward to seeing some new skills on show, as two of the top five dribblers in the Premier League are new to the division after the summer transfer window, with Willian ranked third and Erik Lamela fifth. FIFA Ultimate Team managers should take inspiration from Mourinho and Villas Boas and ensure they sign players skilled on the ball.
Top 5 dribblers in the world:
1 FC Barcelona Messi, Lionel
2 Bayern München Ribéry, Franck
3 Bayern München Robben, Arjen
4 FC Barcelona da Silva Santos Júnior, Neymar
5 FC Barcelona Iniesta Luján, Andrés
Top 5 dribblers in the Premier League:
1 Liverpool Suárez, Luis
2 Manchester City Agüero, Sergio
3 Chelsea Willian
4 Manchester United Nani
5 Tottenham Hotspur Lamela, Erik
FOR THE BEST DEFENCE… HEAD TO THE NORTH WEST
At the other end of the virtual pitch, defending has been transformed in FIFA 14 with second chance tackles giving defenders the chance to recover from missed tackles. Rio Ferdinand may have questioned EA SPORTS on his stats previously, but he can’t have any complaints as he remains in the Premier League’s top 5 defenders. Ferdinand is ranked fifth, with his team mate Nemanja Vidic the Premier League’s top defender.
Top 5 defenders in the Premier League:
1 Manchester United Vidić, Nemanja
2 Manchester City Kompany, Vincent
3 Chelsea Cole, Ashley
4 Everton Baines, Leighton
5 Manchester United Ferdinand, Rio
FOR AERIAL THREAT… SCOUR THE SWISS LEAGUES AND FC SION
When looking for the best headers of the ball in FIFA 14, the Swiss Super League may not be your first port of call. However, FC Sion’s Vilmos Vanczak has the best heading stats in the game, making him an astute target for FIFA Ultimate Team managers looking for a bargain centre back. Closer to home, the Premier League is home to two of the top 5 headers of the ball in the game, with Arsenal’s Per Mertesacker ranked second, above Manchester United’s Nemanja Vidic in fourth.
Top 5 headers in the world:
1 FC Sion Vanczák, Vilmos
2 Arsenal Mertesacker, Per
3 Bayern München van Buyten, Daniel
4 Manchester United Vidić, Nemanja
5 Borussia Dortmund Hummels, Mats
FOR SKILLS… RAID STOKE AND FULHAM?!
With even more new skill moves, and performing them simplified to using the right stick, EA SPORTS FIFA 14 is all about using your skills to beat defenders. FIFA Ultimate Team players often look for five star skill move players in unusual places, and there are just four to be found in the Premier League. While Nani at Manchester United may not surprise many, and Newcastle’s Hatem Ben Arfa and Adel Taraabt are also known for their skills, Stoke’s on-loan Morrocan winger Oussama Assaidi is an unknown quantity to many and the fourth player in the Premier League to be rated five stars for skill moves.
Club Player
Manchester United Nani
Newcastle United Hatem Ben Arfa
Fulham Adel Taraabt
Stoke City Oussama Assaidi
FOR A TWO FOOTED THREAT… SET YOUR SIGHTS ON WEST HAM, HULL OR VILLA
As shooting, dribbling, and passing in FIFA 14 are more realistic than ever, so being two-footed is more important than ever. Having a perfect weak foot means the player can play as comfortably on their weak foot as their strong, making them a vital resource in any FIFA Ultimate Team.
Five players with perfect ‘weak’ foot in the Premier League:
Arsenal Santi Cazorla
West Ham United Matt Jarvis
Hull City Tom Huddlestone
Chelsea Kevin de Bruyne
Aston Villa Aleksander Tonev