FIFA 2003's Premier League Ratings Were All Kinds Of Ridiculous

In 2002, years before social media took over our lives, there wasn't really a place for supporters to vent over the FIFA 2003 ratings.

Yet, looking back and even accepting that there wasn't anywhere near as much a detail going into the product by EA Sports, this was perhaps the most mental set of ratings in the history of the game - particularly when it came to the Premier League.

94-rated Manchester United captain Roy Keane was the best player in the league, with his arch-rival Patrick Vieira of Arsenal one behind on 93.

Keane's United colleagues Ryan Giggs, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rio Ferdinand were also marked 93, which was the same rating handed out to Leeds United midfielder Lee Bowyer - deemed to be a better player than Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard - and even rated higher than Thierry Henry by EA Sports at the time.

Bowyer's central midfield partner David Batty was also one of the best in the league, having been given an overall rating of 90 along with Fulham's Steed Malbranque and the one and only Pascal Cygan.

Somehow Middlesbrough midfield George Boateng managed to wrangle himself a 91 rating, a score that Joe Cole, making waves at West Ham at the time, also received.

Continuing the absolute ratings absurdity, Darius Vassell was 90 rated and better than Michael Owen, who had won the Ballon d'Or a year earlier but had to share an 89 rating with Charlton Athletic striker Jason Euell.

Here are the squad and ratings in full, as per Game Faqs:

Arsenal:

Aston Villa:

Blackburn Rovers:

Bolton Wanderers:

Charlton Athletic:

Chelsea:

Everton:

Fulham:

Leeds United:

Liverpool:

Manchester City:

Manchester United:

Middlesbrough:

Newcastle United:

Southampton:

Sunderland:

Tottenham Hotspur:

West Bromwich Albion:

West Ham United:

Bizarrely, FIFA 2003's highest-rated player was Parma's Matteo Brighi, who had a staggering 97 overall handed to him after recently winning Serie A's Young Player of the Year.

Along with Luis Figo, he is the second-highest rated player in FIFA history - one mark behind the legendary Ronaldo Nazario's 98 rating in FIFA 2004.

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Topics: Football, Premier League, EA Sports

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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