FIFA 18 – the latest in the series of popular PlayStation and Xbox computer games – is in the shops and up-and-down the country it’s player ratings are the topic of discussion in football club dressing rooms.
For Championship side Ipswich Town, keeper Bartosz Bialkowski is the highest ranked player (73) with striker David McGoldrick (72) outfielder.
Blues players Teddy Bishop and Emyr Huws attended a launch event at Smyths Toys Shop, Anglia Retail Park last week, playing the game against members of the public.
“It’s about time FIFA got the stats right!” joked Republic of Ireland international McGoldrick. “A few of the boys were talking just now about when it was coming out. I think a couple of the lads went to an event and we were joking, saying ‘get us a few copies’.
“On the away days there’s still the card schools, a lot of box sets, but yeah a few do play the computer games.
“Jonny Williams, when he was here, had this PlayStation thing that you can bring with you, I don’t know what it’s called, but he took it with him everywhere because he’s such a big kid! I can imagine a few of the boys will be playing it.”
• Full list of Ipswich Town’s FIFA 18 player ratings
Welsh international Williams joked last year, during his fourth loan spell with the Blues, that he was fed up with his statistics on FIFA.
“I always get the ‘injury prone’ stat on there,” he laughed. “That did hurt to be honest but it’s one of those things you just have to take on the chin. I’m not the only one because they’ve got Jack Wilshere in the same bracket.”
McGoldrick, reminded of that interview, said: “I’m surprised I haven’t got that!”
Computer games have long been a hobby for professional footballers. Former Blues striker Darren Bent was pictured by this newspaper playing on the PlayStation with fellow academy graduate Darren Ambrose back in 2002. Bent, now 33, took to Instagram to share his excitement about the new game’s launch last week.
Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy showed his disdain at being given ‘silver card’ status on FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) in the past when headbutting a polystyrene prop in half before being handed a depiction of his new ‘gold’ card at a launch for FIFA 16.
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