The world of football and the virtual world of FIFA have been drifting closer together for some time. Football clubs are now signing e-sports players and assigning them numbers, and players like Alex Iwobi are telling the press that they often look up their upcoming opponents on the EA Sports game.
However, Hull City's Irish midfielder David Meyler, a passionate FIFA player, has merged the two worlds to find fault in the digital representation of himself. Meyler is not happy about his pace rating in the game and claims that his ability to keep up with Manchester United's Marcus Rashford shows that he should be rated higher.
Meyler's pace rating is 55 out of a possible 99, admittedly a tad harsh, while Rashford is blessed with a sweaty pace rating of 92, and this was a point the Ireland international made in a recent video for his YouTube channel.
Meyler plays Ultimate Team and has a one-of-a-kind 'Pro Player' card, gifted to pros that alert EA Sports to the fact they play their game. It was during a review of that card for his subscribers that Meyler was talking about his standard 72 rated card.
My pace is 55, I'm not very impressed with that. I've had a lot of arguments over this pace. Actually, if anyone watched me play against Man U, I don't think Rashford is 37+ pace quicker than me.
And I also hold the record for the second highest speed hit on a pitch this season as a Hull player, so.. I think EA need to bolster up my pace if anybody is watching.
Rio Ferdinand recently had a pop at EA Sports on Twitter for the pace rating of his 'Legend' item, so clearly it's a sensitive subject for pros.
And to be fair to Meyler, he's right. He should be rated higher. But it's gas to hear a footballer use a real life example to explain why he should be better rated in a video game, Meyler's channel is well worth a follow.
