Michy Batshuayi has a lot to prove before he deserves a higher FIFA 18 rating

Michy Batshuayi is not the only player who thinks he deserves a higher rating on FIFA 18. But the Chelsea striker needs to do more than score 1.5 goals against Qarabag before he can justify anything above 80.

Only a few players – not even Chelsea players – will give an honest assessment of their FIFA ratings. Yes, at the end of the day it is an arbitrary number. But the players, especially the younger players who have grown up with it, care about what the ratings.

EA Sports, the makers of FIFA, are well aware of this. So aware that they included a cutscene in the mode “The Journey” about it.

The fictional Alex Hunter and mate Danny Williams are both surprised and upset about their FIFA ratings. And EA were poking fun at themselves with this scene, but it is entirely based in fact.

In the run up to the release of FIFA 18, EA had players from around the world talk about what they think their ratings should be. Almost universally the players overhyped themselves.

Of the players involved in that video, only four give an honest assessment of what their rating should be. Of course most were joking, but it would not be outside the realms of possibility that they were 100% serious.

Chelsea’s Eden Hazard, David Luiz, and Andreas Christensen got in on the fun in a similar video Chelsea posted to twitter.

Eden Hazard massively overrated himself. Luiz got pretty close to his actual rating, which many argue is too high. He was unhappy with half of his stats, however. Christensen got his overall rating right, but was unhappy with his pace.

Then, several days later, noted FIFA player Michy Batshuayi got in on it with a simple, wordless video on twitter.

Without speaking a word, Batshuayi showed his displeasure at his rating of 80. But here is the thing: can a player who plays little be unhappy with his rating?

Obviously, someone with the mindset to go professional will have a lot of confidence and think of themselves as the best player to ever grace the pitch. So it is understandable that players such as Hazard or Dele Alli will hype their ratings up. But what ground does Batshuayi have to stand on?

Yes, he scored a lot with very limited minutes. But then again, so did Alvaro Morata, whose rating was also on the low side. The fact remains players need to be playing week in and week out to justify a higher rating.

Instead of players taking to the internet to voice their displeasure in the rating, let the fans do the work. Batshuayi has plenty of fans who will scream for his start at almost every turn. Batshuayi taking it on himself only comes across as silly.

Must Read: Andreas Christensen, Davide Zappacosta lead Chelsea's player ratings vs. Qarabag

If Batshuayi really cares about his FIFA rating, he needs to show it on the pitch. He needs to show it in training. Against Qarabag he scored twice (despite UEFA saying otherwise), but he also messed up a fair few chances. And Qarabag is the type of opponent who will give him many opportunities to score. A team like Atletico Madrid will not be as forgiving.

In short, Batshuayi needs to put his head down. He squandered a good preseason with his first Premier League start of the season, and Antonio Conte turned to an unadjusted and unfit Alvaro Morata instead. Batshuayi will need to show his talent in the matches he plays if he wants that ratings boost.

Next: Michy Batshuayi, Antonio Conte still learning to trust each other

But in the meantime, he should leave it to the fans to take up the fight. This is one of those situations where he should be reactive and humble, not proactive and arrogant.