By Toby Prince
EA Sports officially launched the newest version of the association football simulation video game, FIFA 16, on Thursday for Microsoft Windows, Play Station 3 & 4, Xbox One & 360, Android and IOS.
The game is an upgrade from previous editions with players abilities improved, 78 stadiums available, and it is the first in the FIFA series to include female players.
Among the top ranked Nigerians in this version are Vincent Enyeama (82), Obafemi Martins (79), Ikechukwu Uche (78), Ahmed Musa (78), Victor Moses (77) and John Mikel Obi (76).
Surprisingly, an uncapped player makes it to the top 20 Nigerian footballers in the game. His name is Jerry Mbakogu.
Who is Jerry Mbakogu?
Born on 1st October 1992 in Lagos, Jerry Mbakogu currently plays as a striker for Italian club Carpi in the Serie A. He moved to Italy at an early age and joined Padova’s youth setup in 2006, progressing through the ranks.
Mbakogu had loan spells at Palermo and Juve Stabia where he featured predominantly in the Serie B.
After a loan spell at Carpi where he scored seven goals in 27 games, Mbakogu secured a five-year permanent deal with the club in 2014.
The Nigerian was Serie B’s hottest striker after his 15 goals in 30 appearances helped the Biancorossi secure their first historic promotion to the Italian top tier in 2014/15 season.
Attributes
With a score of 73, Mbakogu is ranked among Nigerian elite footballers in the 2016 edition.
His strengths, according to FIFA 16, include pace (89), physicality (78) and shooting ability (72), while his weaknesses are – defence (25) and pass accuracy (58).
Super Eagles or the Azzurri?
Despite not receiving a call-up to the Super Eagles yet, Mbakogu has pledged his allegiance to Nigeria rather than the Italian national team. The player, who will become an Italian citizen at the end of the year, is a huge fan of Stoke City forward Osaze Odemwingie who he tries to emulate.
“I am 100 percent Nigerian, though I have been in Italy for long now and my life is here,” he told SL10.ng.
“As a Nigerian though, I’d like to play for my country, I grew up in Lagos and left when I was 12.
“Odemwingie is a classy striker, I like his football.”
