Where are they now? FIFA 13’s 10 best ‘future stars’: Lukaku, Ake, Zouma…
It’s now been over a decade since the release of FIFA 13 and they had some interesting predictions to say the least.
FIFA has quite the sporadic hit-to-miss ratio when it comes to predicting the world’s future stars.
We’ve gone back through the archives and found the 10 FIFA 13 wonderkids tipped for stardom by EA, and how they’ve fared since they were tipped for glory.
Yassine Benzia
If you played career mode back in the day this guy was an absolute gem.
Upon the release of the game, Yassine Benzia was only 17 years old and was playing for Lyon in Ligue 1. The forward had a potential on the game of 84, which he ultimately didn’t live up to.
These days he is playing for Ligue 2 club Dijon and is currently out on loan at Hatayspor in Turkey.
The highest rating he ever achieved in the game was back in FIFA 18 when he was rated as a 76 gold card. These days he’s a 71-rated silver.
Manolo Gabbiadini
His relatively brief stint in the Premier League will always be iconic.
Manolo Gabbiadini was regarded as one of the most promising players in Italian football throughout his younger years.
These days he is playing for Sampdoria in Italy. With 27 goals in 102 appearances, his record for them isn’t too shabby.
Romelu Lukaku
Say what you like about Romelu Lukaku, the guy scores goals.
Despite his stints at Manchester United and Chelsea ending on a sour note, the guy has scored over 250 club goals.
He’s also Belgium’s all-time top scorer with 68 goals.
Gerard Deulofeu
The La Masia academy graduate fell into the trap of many after he was labelled as ‘the next Messi’.
In truth, Deulofeu has crafted out a respectable career for himself, albeit not at the level some would have thought.
After stints in England with Everton and Watford, he’s now playing for Udinese in Italy.
The winger’s scored his fair share of beauties over the years, to be fair to him.
🏌 | Cheeky chip from @gerardeulofeu pulls one back for @WatfordFC!#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/pHDrfZKhlk
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) April 7, 2019
Deniz Aycicek
‘Think of him as a Xavi type of player; all about keeping the ball and finding team-mates.’ That’s how EA Sports described Deniz Aycicek back in 2013.
The German midfielder had a potential of 92 on FIFA 13. For context, that’s higher than any player currently on FIFA 23.
After rising through the ranks at Hannover 96 II, he was seen as a top prospect in Germany.
Ultimately his career didn’t pan out like EA had predicted and he now plays semi-professional football for TSV Kolenfeld.
Nathan Ake
Manchester City splashed out over £40million on Nathan Ake, but back in FIFA 13 you could pick him up for just £275k.
While the Dutch defender isn’t a regular starter for City, EA weren’t too far wrong with this one.
His potential of 84 from FIFA 13 is just six ratings short of his overall rating this year.
READ: 10 players who did nothing at Chelsea but shone after leaving
Loris Benito
Loris Benito was tipped to become one of the world’s best full-backs back in 2013.
The Swiss defender has represented his country on 13 occasions, but his club career never quite took off to the same extent.
Having had short stints at Benfica and Bordeaux, he is now playing back in his native country for Young Boys.
Kurt Zouma
EA had identified Kurt Zouma before Chelsea picked him up in 2014.
The former Saint-Etienne defender has made quite the name for himself in the Premier League, and is now a solid operator at West Ham since his move to the London Stadium last year.
Alberto Masi
Alberto Masi was tipped to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli back in 2013.
The Italian defender had a potential of 87 and was described as ‘dominant in the air and a real master at winning the ball back in the tackle.’
Ultimately Masi didn’t make it at Juventus and now finds himself playing for Pro Vercelli in the Italian third division.
Nicola Leali
Italian goalkeeper Nicola Leali had a potential of 89, which is higher than Gianluigi Donnarumma is rated on FIFA 23.
The highest rating he ever received on FIFA was a rating of 73 back on FIFA 17.
Having played for 11 different clubs throughout his career, he’s quite the journeyman. These days Leali is playing for Ascoli in the Italian second tier.
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