EA Sports named ten 'Future Stars' in FIFA 13 and what they've done since makes for fascinating reading

Football video games are built on a massive amount of scouting data, making them vital sources of information for the sport's talent identification pros and great for knowledge about up-and-coming players.

EA's researchers know their stuff. Every year, they're tasked with compiling a list of players with significant potential. Ahead of FIFA 2013, journalist and FIFA enthusiast shared a list of ten 'Future Stars'.

Every player on the list had a potential rating over 80. Romelu Lukaku, Nathan Ake, Kurt Zouma and Manolo Gabbiadini all featured.

While a handful of these players have enjoyed successful careers since FIFA 13, there's also the curious case of Deniz Aycicek. The German midfielder is the only player listed with potential above 90 but retired without ever playing above Germany's third tier.

Manchester City defender Nathan Ake has more than matched his FIFA 13 potential. (Image: Getty)

According to experienced Career Mode players, Aycicek was one of the game's glitched players, shooting up from his starting OVR of 58 into the 90s in a matter of months when played regularly.

At the other end of the scale, Lukaku has scored 313 goals in 658 competitive appearances for Manchester United, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Roma and others.

The 31-year-old Belgian striker is a league champion in both Belgium and Italy, and has played in losing finals in both the Champions League and the Europa League. He is Belgium's all-time leading goalscorer and has scored four times in ten Serie A appearances for Napoli this season.

Romelu Lukaku is Belgium's all-time leading goalscorer (Image: Getty)

Here's the list in full:

1. Yassine Benzia - potential 84

THEN: Lyon

NOW: Qarabag

2. Manolo Gabbiadini - potential 85

THEN: Bologna (on loan from Juventus)

NOW: Al Nasr

3. Romelu Lukaku - potential 89

THEN: West Bromwich Albion (on loan from Chelsea)

NOW: Napoli

4. Gerard Deulofeu - potential 84

THEN: Barcelona B

NOW: Udinese

5. Deniz Aycicek - potential 92

THEN: Hannover 96

NOW: Retired

6. Loris Benito - potential 83

THEN: FC Zurich

NOW: Young Boys

7. Nathan Ake - potential 84

THEN: Chelsea

NOW: Manchester City

8. Kurt Zouma - potential 85

THEN: Saint-Etienne

NOW: Al-Orobah

9. Alberto Massi - potential 87

THEN: Pro Vercelli (on loan from Juventus)

NOW: Atalanta U23

10. Nicola Leali - potential 89

THEN: Lanciano

NOW: Genoa

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