FIFA 16: 10 Premier League Players Who've Been Upgraded
A year is a long time in football. It's an even longer time in the world of FIFA 16 Ultimate Team, a battleground where player ratings and values fluctuate massively each year.
As gamers across the globe get to grips with EA Sports' latest release, we've ranked the highest FUT16 Premier League upgrades from the past 12 months.
The criteria is simple: Only players who are now ranked in the gold category (75+) have made it into the top 10. Overall rating increase is prioritised, but in the event of a tie, the total stats increase then comes into play. If things are still equal, the highest-ranked card is given the nod.
For those looking outside the world of Premier League golds, the last slide holds a few surprises.
10. Matteo Darmian, Manchester United
1 of 11
FIFA 16 Overall Rating: 81 (+7)
Total Stats: 432 (+3)
Manchester United's Matteo Darmian has enjoyed one heck of a year. Few would have taken notice of him when he put in a remarkably reliable shift for Italy at the 2014 World Cup, but even so, many pretended they knew who he was when he signed for United.
After just a few games in the Premier League, he has shown qualities that rank him among the best right-backs in the world. He started FUT15 as a 74-rated silver. He's now an 81-rated gold, the second best in the English top flight, only behind Manchester City's Pablo Zabaleta.
9. Jose Fonte, Southampton
2 of 11
FIFA 16 Overall Rating: 81 (+7)
Total Stats: 368 (+10)
Southampton's Jose Fonte possesses a handful of seriously impressive physical stats in this year's game. Both his interceptions and standing tackle currently stand at 85, while his sliding tackle and marking excel at one point less. His strength (83) and aggression (84) also underline the term "Goliath."
Like Darmian, Fonte was on the cusp of his first gold card 12 months ago. While Southampton's best players have largely moved toward United and Liverpool in the last year, it's something of a surprise that the 31-year-old still remains at St. Mary's.
8. Nabil Bentaleb, Tottenham Hotspur
3 of 11
FIFA 16 Overall Rating: 75 (+7)
Total Stats: 416 (+27)
Tottenham Hotspur's Nabil Bentaleb isn't going to get much love on FUT16, but even so, he's a solid investment for those working through the career mode. The Algerian is an accurate distributor of the ball (80-rated short passing) and is someone who has the potential to be a major player for Spurs in the coming years.
For now, his jump from being a 68-rated bronze to a 75-rated gold underlines a player who can offer an insurance policy in midfield.
7. Nathaniel Clyne, Liverpool
4 of 11
FIFA 16 Overall Rating: 81 (+7)
Total Stats: 451 (+27)
Nathaniel Clyne enjoyed one of the 2014-15 campaign's most obvious rises to prominence for Southampton. Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers worked astutely to add him for just £12.5 million in the summer, as reported by Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail, which was one of the bargains of the recently closed transfer window.
FUT16 players will take notice. Clyne is quick (86-rated pace, 87-rated acceleration), and he possesses strong tackling skills (83-rated standing, 86-rated sliding). Many will opt for him over Zabaleta in their gold squads due to him being "in fashion," but it's difficult to argue against the choice.
6. Francis Coquelin, Arsenal
5 of 11
FIFA 16 Overall Rating: 78 (+8)
Total Stats: 423 (+21)
Francis Coquelin, a.k.a. the man whose form may or may not have stopped Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger from signing Morgan Schneiderlin during the summer, per Simon Johnson of the London Evening Standard.
Coquelin was actually available as a 70-rated left midfielder at the start of FUT15 before being upgraded to a 72-rated defensive midfielder when he forced himself into the Gunners' reckoning. He's now a fiercely competitive gold whose aggression rating of 88 underlines his vital function to Arsenal's success.
His nationality and position also ensure he can easily be used to link together hybrid FUT squads, making him another improving and intriguing option for those who don't want to splash out on the top stars.
5. Saido Berahino, West Bromwich Albion
6 of 11
FIFA 16 Overall Rating: 76 (+9)
Total Stats: 381 (+21)
Three things will stand out to most FUT players when viewing Saido Berahino's stats. He's cheap, pacey (83) and a clinical finisher (82).
West Bromwich Albion players aren't the most attractive (hey, who doesn't love the dream team combination of Darren Fletcher and Jonny Evans?), but Berahino is a more-than-acceptable option to bring off the bench during online matches.
He also promises to build on his potential in career mode and should continue to see his overall rating increase as the years progress, if he ever gets that transfer...
4. Baba Rahman, Chelsea
7 of 11
FIFA 16 Overall Rating: 78 (+10)
Total Stats: 428 (+36)
Baba Rahman is just starting life as a Chelsea player and is almost guaranteed to improve defensively under Jose Mourinho (forgetting the Blues' Premier League play so far this season).
His pace (86) and acceleration (85) are explosive when combined with his high attacking work rate. Baba also possesses the physicality to avoid becoming overruled against stronger players.
The 21-year-old enjoyed an excellent season for Augsburg last year and has risen from an average-rated silver to a quality gold over the last year. This will only rise if he can put together a run of form, since he's likely to receive increased exposure.
3. Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur
8 of 11
FIFA 16 Overall Rating: 78 (+10)
Total Stats: 416 (+55)
Harry Kane is both an effective target man and someone who can burst beyond defenders. He is powerful, enjoys a useful turn of speed and is a threat in the air.
Although EA Sports nailed his high attacking and defensive work rates, the plus-10 increase to his overall stats still feels, well, disappointing.
Only Sergio Aguero netted more than Kane's 21 in the Premier League last season. Granted, it can be argued he needs to perform across multiple campaigns before his rating surpasses the 80 mark, something EA is likely to explore with any Kane in-forms on FUT16.
But then again, take a look at Mario Balotelli. He has been granted an 80-rated card after a year of standing around and blasting shots into the closest Anfield stand.
2. Jordan Amavi, Aston Villa
9 of 11
FIFA 16 Overall Rating: 75 (+11)
Total Stats: 431 (+45)
It's immediately noticeable that Jordan Amavi's pace (78) is underrated on this year's game. However, his FUT16 card makes up for the lack of speed by making the player more well-rounded than he perhaps is in real life.
The France under-21 international has jumped from bronze to gold in one year. He has plenty to learn defensively but has already underlined his attacking threat since joining Aston Villa in the summer.
Like Baba Rahman, Amavi has the potential to become a FUT legend.
1. Ryan Mason, Tottenham Hotspur
10 of 11
FIFA 16 Overall Rating: 75 (+11)
Total Stats: 417 (+59)
Ryan Mason suffers with what one might call "Seamus Coleman syndrome." This means he is often thought of as being much younger than he actually is.
Whether you realised the Spurs midfielder is 24 years old or not, he has enjoyed the greatest statistical leap of any Premier League player between FUT15 and 16. His overall plus-11 is the same as Amavi, but his total stats have improved by a whopping 59.
Mason is a quality, improving midfielder at a club that is packed with similar players. Like Bentaleb, the Englishman has made huge strides under Mauricio Pochettino.
Short passing (81) and stamina (84) currently rank as Mason's best stats, but moving forward, he needs to work on his finishing (63) to take advantage of the attacking runs he naturally makes.
Other Notable Upgrades
11 of 11
We've looked at the highest-upgraded Premier League players who are now golds. Here's a roundup of other stars who also experienced major progress since last year's game was released:
Highest Premier League Upgrade
Hector Bellerin (Arsenal): Rating, 74 (+13).
Harry Toffolo (Norwich City): Rating, 65 (+13).
Highest La Liga Upgrade
Samu Castillejo (Villarreal): Rating, 77 (+15)
Highest Serie A Upgrade
Jose Mauri (AC Milan): Rating, 72 (+14)
Highest Bundesliga Upgrade
Ashton Gotz (Hamburg): Rating, 65 (+15)
Highest Ligue 1 Upgrade
Sofiane Boufal (Lille): Rating, 78 (+15)
Highest Overall Upgrade
Doka (Basaksehir, Turkish Super League): Rating, 75 (+27)
All FIFA 16 stats in this article are provided by FUThead.
