1 Borussia Dortmund Player Whose FIFA 16 Stats Overestimate Him

FIFA 16, the newest installment in the hugely popular video-game series, dropped at the end of September in Germany. The in-game ratings of players are a major talking point every year.

Supporters want their heroes to be rated as highly as possible, while gamers want the ratings to be an accurate portrayal of real-life value.

The FIFA 16 ratings for the players of Borussia Dortmund generally look pretty accurate. Naturally, some players seem to be underrated by the game's statistics. For a few players, however, the ratings are generous.

Captain Mats Hummels, for example, is tied for the third-highest overall defensive rating of all the players in the game. With his well-documented problems in defence, that rating of 88 looks off. One could argue both Sokratis Papastathopoulos (86) and Neven Subotic (83) are better pure defenders than the skipper.

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Hummels' strengths, despite being a centre-back by trade, firmly lie going forward, as Stefan Hermanns noted for Tagesspiegel (via 11 Freunde). The game could do better to reflect that.

One player whose overall rating seems too high is Poland international Lukasz Piszczek. 

It seems like FIFA 16 rated Piszczek on reputation rather than recent performances. His overall rating of 81 reflects the 30-year-old's status as a mainstay in the club's recent successful period. It doesn't accurately portray Piszczek's notable decline over the last few years, however.

The Pole was perhaps considered Europe's best right-back just two years ago. He was among the club's best performers during the amazing Champions League run that ended two minutes from time at Wembley in the 2013 final.

In his heyday, Piszczek was the complete full-back: He provided defensive cover and was aggressive yet always on the front foot, attacking on his mind. His partnership with fellow Poland international Jakub Blaszczykowski was a sight to behold, as Dortmund's right wing struck fear into many opponents. 

Piszczek's game, however, was always expansive and made him reliant on physical abilities. The Pole has suffered from a rapid physical decline that has cost him 50 games since the completion of the 2012/13 campaign, according to Transfermarkt.

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He missed the majority of those games following major hip surgery just days after Champions League final. Piszczek hasn't looked the same since, as Bleacher Report's Stefan Bienkowski noted in March. 

That hasn't been reflected in his FIFA ratings, though. SoFIFA, a data bank for the series, shows Piszczek is rated just one point lower on his overall rating than he was at the end of the 2012/13 season. 

His undeniable physical decline doesn't manifest itself in his FIFA 16 ratings, as his sprint speed is a rated at a healthy 82 and both his stamina and strength at 79. 

Offensively, his crossing rating of 81 seems generous. After assisting 25 Bundesliga goals in his first three seasons at the club, before the hip surgery, he added just one more in the two seasons thereafter.

Overall, Piszczek is rated as the fourth-best right-back in the world by FIFA 16. Granted, he's tied with no fewer than seven other players for that distinction, but it seems quite a way off regardless.

Among the players rated at 81 overall, Piszczek sticks out like a sore thumb. FIFA 16 would have you believe Piszczek is on the level of players such as Real Madrid's Daniel Carvajal and Danilo or Matteo Darmian, who's impressed in his short time at Manchester United.

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In reality, Piszczek's spot in Dortmund's starting lineup is in jeopardy. Matthias Ginter surprised with offensive efficiency when he had to replace Piszczek earlier this season, as he's already assisted eight goals this campaign. With age firmly on the side of the 21-year-old World Cup winner, BVB head coach Thomas Tuchel could well opt to give Ginter every opportunity to blossom in his new role.

Piszczek's precarious position is one the developer of FIFA 16, EA Sports, could have foreseen before the season. If it was to reassess the ratings now, there'd surely be a few downgrades coming his way.