"That's not him," "Wow, that's bad" - Thierry Henry in disbelief as he reacts to Cristiano Ronaldo's stats in EA FC 24
French legend Thierry Henry has revealed his surprise after learning of the ratings given to Cristiano Ronaldo in the EA FC 24 video game. The Arsenal great was speaking with BR Football following the official launch of the video game, where the ratings were revealed.
Henry and Ronaldo are two of the most iconic forwards to ever set foot in the Premier League. Their paths crossed for club and country before the Frenchman decided to call time on his professional career, and he knows how good Ronaldo is.
This year, EA Sports dropped the 'FIFA' name from its video game, renaming it FC 24 for the first time. The release was widely anticipated as players and fans are always keen to learn of the ratings given to the players.
Henry was shown the cards for Lionel Messi and Thibaut Courtois, who both received a 90 rating. He also saw the cards for Virgil Van Dijk and Casemiro, both rated 89, and Antoine Griezmann with a rating of 88. Jeremie Doku's 77-rated card, as well as Gabriel Martinelli's 84-rated one was also shown to the football legend.
Lastly, Henry was shown a card belonging to a player in the Saudi League. He did not recognise the player from the attributes, until it was revealed to be Cristiano Ronaldo with an 86 rating.
Thierry Henry was surprised to see Ronaldo receive such a low rating in this year's game, a significant drop from his previous rating. The Portuguese great was rated 90 in FIFA 23, and Henry felt that this rating is not correct.
"No, that's not him."
"Wow, that's bad!"
Ronaldo has consistently seen his rating drop by one point in each of the last four editions of the game. From a 93 in FIFA 20, he received a 92 rating in FIFA 21 and a 91 in FIFA 22.
Cristiano Ronaldo defying age in Saudi League
EA Sports believes that Cristiano Ronaldo is past his best, hence his relatively low rating this year. However, the 38-year-old moved to Al-Nassr in the winter and does not seem like he's slowing down.
Ronaldo has featured in 28 matches since he moved to Saudi Arabia and has 24 goals and eight assists from that time. The Portugal captain has continued to take care of himself as professionally as he did 10 years ago.
This season, Ronaldo has found the net 10 times in nine matches across all competitions for his side. In addition to this, he helped Al-Nassr win the Arab Club Champions Cup this summer with a decisive performance in the final.
EA Sports may think Ronaldo deserves an 86 rating, but the Portuguese great continues to prove them wrong.