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Who are FIFA 16 Career Mode’s 10 best strikers?
Dominating the game but struggling for goals? Here are 10 top strikers to get the net bulging.
Every position on the football pitch is important. We’ve already made the argument for having a dominant midfield over all else in our best midfielders round-up and sure – your midfield can control an entire game for you. But having all the possession isn’t going to get you anywhere if you don’t have someone to score you some goals.
Even in matches where you’re completely outclassed, one good striker can always give you a chance to snatch a point, or perhaps even three. After all, as beloved football philosopher Michael Owen once said, "Whichever team scores more goals usually wins." Here are 10 of the best striking options available in FIFA 16 Career Mode, from ready-made foxes in the box to potential superstars.
Robert Lewandowski
Let’s start with the most obvious choice in the striking department. Given that there’s a lack of free-scoring quality strikers in the world at the moment, Lewandowski is certainly the best of them given his relative young age (still only 27 years old) and goalscoring pedigree, and he starts with a massive 87 overall rating if you can prise him from Bayern Munich early in the season. With pace, dribbling, shooting and physical stats all 80+, he’s the game’s best all-round striker, and he’ll score hatfuls for at least another five years.
Neymar
Now, we know that he’s technically a winger in FIFA this year, but as far as we’re concerned, Neymar counts as a forward, and a good one at that. In fact, if money is no object and you’re after someone to bolster your front line for the next decade, Neymar should be your first port of call. Along with Paul Pogba and James Rodríguez, Neymar’s 93 potential is the joint-highest in the game and even at his 88 overall starting point, he’s still a monster. His 80 overall shooting will grow in time, but his 90 pace and 91 dribbling alongside five-star skill moves and five-star weak foot rating makes him indispensable as a striker or a wide-attacker. Sign him up.
Alexandre Lacazette
The French forward has been setting Ligue 1 on fire for a few years now at Lyon, banging in goals for fun and terrorising defences with a combination of tricky skills, electric pace and solid finishing. Thankfully, EA has recognised his quality this year, giving him an 84 overall rating, with 88 pace, 84 dribbling and 84 shooting stats to match, as well as four-star skill moves and a four-star weak foot rating. Here’s the kicker though: Lacazette is only 24 years old, and he’s got plenty of growth left in him, up to a very respectable 88 overall.
Picking the best of the best
© EA Sports
Thomas Müller
Ah, Mr Müller, the scourge of English club and national sides alike. It feels like Müller has been around forever but he’s still only 26, believe it or not, which means he’s just entered his best years as a striker. He’s not the paciest striker in this list, but he’s got quality stats all over the board, including 84 overall shooting, 80 passing and surprisingly good jumping and heading stats too. Throw in his 90 stamina and Müller is unquestionably a great signing if you’re after an all-round forward to lead the line for the next four years or so.
Antoine Griezmann
Although he started life as a tricky winger at Real Sociedad, Griezmann has undoubtedly made a permanent and extremely successful transition to an out-and-out striker at Atlético Madrid. He’ll cost you a fair bit of money, probably around the 40 million mark if you want to sign him early on, but given that he’ll rise from an 83 to an 89 overall rating, that sounds like good business to us. His days on the left wing have given him four-star skill moves and some great dribbling and pace stats – both 84 – and he’s a tidy finisher too, though it should be noted that the diminutive striker won’t win many aerial battles for you.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Here’s a man you’ll have heard plenty about this January – Borussia Dortmund’s Gabonese forward has scored a goal a game so far this season, a rich vein of form that saw him win the African Player of the Year in 2015. Although EA don’t have his potential so highly rated (he’ll only grow a couple more points to 84 overall), he’s still worth your time and money. Speed kills in FIFA, and Aubameyang’s 96 acceleration and 95 sprint speed will have opposition defenders in panic mode.
Who wouldn't want this lot in their squad?
© EA Sports
Paco Alcácer
The Spanish striker doesn’t have the same high ratings to begin with as others in this list – he’ll only be 80 overall at the beginning of your Career Mode. He actually starts with really good shooting stats – including positioning, finishing, shot power and volleys all well over 80 – and he grows quickly into a top quality poacher, with enough pace to beat an offside trap and outstanding finishing stats on top. Plus, the beauty of his relatively weak early game means you can get him much cheaper than most of the other strikers on this list. At 22, he’s a perfect signing if you’ve already got a decent striker with a few years left at the top of his game.
Romelu Lukaku
Everton’s Belgian powerhouse has been a solid FIFA Career Mode signing for some years now, but judging by his form this season, EA seem to have underrated him somewhat. His stats are fairly unique as far as FIFA goes, with 80+ physical and pace stats making him an absolute nightmare to deal with right out of the gate. But give him a bit of time – he’s still only 22, by the way – and Lukaku grows into the Drogba-esque line-leader that Chelsea always wanted him to be, with extremely good finishing stats to go with his dominant heading game, hold-up play and decent pace.
Paulo Dybala
Like Alcácer, Dybala is a developing talent that you’ll want to nurture if you pick him up early in your Career Mode playthrough. Although he’s only rated at 78, his awesome pace and dribbling stats – 86 and 87 respectively – make him good enough to hold down a starting spot if necessary. Juventus paid a lot of money for Dybala, so he’ll cost you plenty on the transfer market, but if you can bring him in, he’s a guaranteed star in the making. Those terrifying pace and dribbling stats are only going to get scarier, and the Argentinian's shooting and passing will improve massively too. He’s never going to be an aerial threat, but he becomes a very competent free-kick taker with some training, and he’ll get up to an 88 overall rating.
Álvaro Morata
Another highly-rated Juventus wonderkid, The Old Lady managed to prise Morata away from Real Madrid in 2014 and the Spanish youngster hasn’t looked back since, earning himself a national call-up in the same year. At just 22 years old, Morata already has an 81 overall rating that includes 84 pace, 82 dribbling and 80 shooting stats, and he’ll grow into an all-round force who’s equally adept beating defenders over the top as he is collecting the ball deep and taking them on one-on-one.
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