Former 97-Rated Player on FIFA 2003 Reduced to 70-Rated Silver Card on FIFA 18

Ratings for the the popular football gaming franchise FIFA have always been hotly contested, with every player seemingly having an opinion on how high or low a player should be rated.

One rating however that will always live long in the memory of FIFA players is that of Italian midfielder Matteo Brighi.

Understandably not a household name outside of Italy, in the early 2000's Brighi was touted as a future great in his homeland, so much so in fact that he earned a 97 rating in FIFA 2003 whilst playing for Parma, putting him ahead of the likes of Thierry Henry and Zinedine Zidane just to name a few. 

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Being named Serie A Young Player of the Year in 2002 before going on to win the UEFA U21 European Championships two years later, it seemed that Brighi would be a midfield star and go on the have a stellar career in football. 

Yet 15 years on from his incredible rating in the game, Brighi's latest rating of 70 on FIFA 18 goes to show the decline his has suffered over the years. 

Image by Adam Barnish

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Despite his fall over the past decade or so, Brighi has played for a number of Italy's greatest clubs including Juventus and AS Roma, whilst earning himself four caps for the national team.

Brighi now currently plays for Serie B side FC Empoli, who are currently top of the division. Now aged 37, Brighi's career is surely entering its twilight, although will always be synonymous with FIFA and perhaps a career of what might have been.