Jamie Vardy’s scintillating goal-scoring form this season has forced the makers of FIFA 16 into a rethink.
Having initially rated Vardy at 71, the Leicester striker was presented with a revised rating of 75.
Having shared the news of the former non-league man’s upgrade, some FIFA-playing SportsJOE readers were quick to express their surprise that his impressive form wasn’t worthy of a higher rating.
Now let’s be clear – we don’t doubt that the folks behind FIFA 16 have given this plenty of thought and probably could give us a detailed explanation as to why Vardy is now only worth 75. But a quick scan through the ratings of some of his fellow Premier League strikers might leave you scratching your heads.
For example, Norwich City striker Cameron Jerome, who has found the back of the net three times this season, also had a rating of 75.
Shane Long, who also has a rating of 75, has fared slightly better than Jerome with five league goals this season.
But what about some of the Premier League strikers that have a better rating than Jamie Vardy? Here are five names that might also surprise you.
Peter Crouch – 76
We’re absolutely not knocking Peter Crouch. This is a man who has scored at a World Cup, while playing for England. The thing is, that World Cup was nearly a decade ago. Crouch hardly starts a game for Stoke City these days and hasn’t scored a league goal so far this year.
Although we’re not doubting that Crouch’s past achievements are worthy of a reasonable rating, he’s not worth a higher one that Jamie Vardy on this season’s evidence.
Emanuel Adebayor – 79
As with Crouch, Adebayor is a player who has been amongst the goals in the Premier League in years gone by. By now it’s clear that FIFA’s ratings must take into consideration a player’s history when arriving at their current rating – which is just as well given that Adebayor was without a club until a few weeks ago.
He’s only made two appearances since joining Crystal Palace, so perhaps there’s still time to justify his rating of 79.
Bafetembi Gomis – 77
Like Vardy, Gomis has enjoyed his own scoring purple patch this season, marking each of his first five appearances for Swansea with a goal. Since then, his scoring rate has slowed significantly – only notching one league goal since August.
Again, Gomis’ rating is probably down to the form he showed in previous years, breaking the 20-goal-a-season mark three years on the trot before he left Lyon for Swansea.
Andy Carroll – 78
Although injuries have played a part, Andy Carroll has only managed double figures in a Premier League season once. He’s bagged three in this year’s campaign, yet still finds himself with a higher rating than Vardy.
Steven Fletcher – 76
Sunderland face a battle to remain in the Premier League as it is, but the fact that they were willing to let a striker go out on loan speaks volumes about how highly regarded he is at the club. Steven Fletcher made an unexpected switch to Marseille in January after scoring four Premier League goals.
