Wycombe Wanderers striker Adebayo Akinfenwa basically made his name in the FIFA series.
He was once told that he was too big to play football but defied those odds and has used his size to advantage to make a pretty good career for himself. He''s easily the most well-known lower-league football in England and it's all down to him being built like a brick shithouse, being ridiculously strong on FIFA and his stock really rising thanks to YouTube KSI placing a spotlight on him in his videos.
Akinfenwa's unparalleled strength on the pitch has been showcased on the FIFA series, with his stats reflecting that.
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However, he's not always been in 'Beast Mode' and his evolution on the game is quite something.
FIFA 05:
Back in the day, EA Sports only really placed emphasis emphasis on players playing in the top-level leagues. But from FIFA 04 onwards, players outside of the Premier League were included the game. Playing for Torquay United at the time , a relatively unknown Akinfenwa had a rating of 58, though could potentially rise to 75.
His strength stats were a far cry from the numbers we associate with him, as his strength rating was a mere 45.
FIFA 06:
His strength stats improved dramatically in FIFA 06, as EA Sports appeared to take proper notice for Akinfenwa. The Swansea man was rated 63, had a strength rating of 88 as well as 78 acceleration.
FIFA 07:
A year later, Akinfenwa's overall rating went down to 57 and his strength decreased slightly to 86.
FIFA 08:
Akinfenwa did not appear in FIFA 08 as he made the ninth move of his career in November, having rejected a new contract with Swansea at the end of the 2006/07 season. His transfer to Millwall was later than when the game had come out and at the time EA Sports did not have the capacity to put Adebayo or any other player in the game after its release.
FIFA 09:
FIFA 09 was the first FIFA game that could be played on new consoles such as the Xbox 360 and PS3 and there was Akinfenwa's rating went up to 62, the then Northampton striker kept the same strength stats for another year.
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FIFA 10:
This edition of the popular franchise was when the buzz surrounding Akinfenwa really started to come about. FIFA Ultimate Team was in its first year and Akinfenwa was a must-have for anyone wanting to put together a League Two team, as his 91 strength came in handy in attack.
FIFA 11:
A 63 rated Akinfenwa saw his strength rating increase by two in FIFA 11. Unfortunately EA Sports didn't think highly enough of him for him to get a new picture for his Ultimate Team card.
FIFA 12:
FIFA 12 was where his strength stats started to get ridiculous, coming up to a massive 97 - which meant if he was on the ball, there was no chance he was getting knocked off it.
FIFA 13:
A new picture arrived in FIFA 13 and his strength rating dropped by one, but it didn't make much of a difference as Akinfenwa was still able to dominate defenders. Thanks to his fine form at one point the 2012/13 season, he was rewarded with an in-form card which saw his strength stats reach a monumental 99 - making him the strongest player on the game and pretty much impossible to out-strength.
It was the card that pretty much made Akinfenwa and you would have to cough up lots of shiny coins to have him in your side - roughly 144,660 on Xbox and 92,044 on Playstation.
FIFA 14:
Akinfenwa reached 97 for strength in yet another 63 rated card and was once again able to bully any opposition player who came near him. His other stats aren't anything to shout about, but his strength more than made up for it.
FIFA 15:
Now at AFC Wimbledon, where he helped lead the side to promotion to League One, Akinfenwa was rated 62 overall and maintained his strength rating of 97.
FIFA 16:
Akinfenwa achieved his highest ever overall base rating to date when he was given a 64 rated card in FIFA 16. His strength was highlighted with a rating of 98 - his highest number that wasn't part of an in-form upgraded.
FIFA 17:
Finally, Akinfenwa's card on the current version game sees him maintain both his 64 rating as well as 98 strength but the Wycombe Wanderers man did reach the heavenly 99 strength summit in two different cards as part of a Halloween and Movember-themed upgrades.
And there you have it, a pretty crazy transformation for Bayo on FIFA. Who knows what his card and stats will look like on next year's game...
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Information via Fut Wiz and FIFA Index
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