Michail Antonio has proclaimed himself the ‘king’ of FIFA football in the West Ham United squad but believes his strength and pace should be higher in EA Sports' latest release.
Antonio, along with West Ham’s official eSports player Jamboo, attended the FIFA 18 Launch event last week and finally got to sample the newest game, which is now available in stores.
The 27-year-old partnered Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi against The F2 Freestylers, with the pair collecting a dominant 6-1 win on the main stage of the event in Shoreditch.
Speaking after the match Antonio told whufc.com: “I’m the best in the dressing room right now. I’m the king of FIFA. Aaron Cresswell is second. We did a little competition last year and obviously I went home the champion.”
I'm the best in the dressing room right now. I'm the king of FIFA. We did a little competition last year and obviously I went home the champion.
Michail Antonio
FIFA 18 has been given high praise by Antonio but there’s one area he feels he needs to work on if he is to retain his crown as West Ham’s best player.
“With FIFA 18 coming out I need to practise my shooting, because my finishing was poor,” Antonio laughed: “The finishing is nigh-on impossible - at least for me! The only goal I managed to score for my team was the penalty and I also hit the crossbar from a yard out.
“I love the gameplay. EA have changed it and now it’s more technical. You can’t just do one-touch passing all around the pitch. You have to find the right pass and know where you’re passing as well.”
Antonio is one of a number of West Ham players to be given an upgrade in his rating in FIFA 18, with the versatile forward now boasting an overall score of 80 in the game.
He has also been declared a striker by EA Sports, a decision the No30 can understand given that he featured in the role a number of times last season for the Hammers, ending the campaign as the club’s top scorer.
Antonio added: “I managed to get an 80 rating in the game this year. Last year I played quite a few games up front so I’m not surprised to be put in as a striker, but everyone knows that I’m a winger really.”
Despite being happy with an 80 score, Antonio expressed some annoyance at his strength and pace numbers, which the 2017 Hammer of the Year feels needs to be higher.
He said: “I’m a bit disappointed with my strength though and I’m a little disappointed with my pace. I think I’m definitely quicker than what I’ve been given!"
West Ham’s official eSports player Jamboo also got his hands on FIFA 18 for the first time at the launch party, beating Manchester City’s Kez in a tense encounter which ended in a penalty shoot-out.
And while Antonio has given himself the title of West Ham’s best FIFA player – at least in the first team – the attacker's in-game duplicate has Jamboo's stamp of approval.
Jamboo said: “Michail Antonio really stands out as a top option on FIFA 18. He’s quick, he’s strong, and he’s a good finisher too. He’s a real handful for defenders on the game, and in real life too!”
Jamboo also echoed Antonio’s sentiments about the new gameplay style on FIFA 18, and was delighted with an engaging evening at the launch event.
“I like the new gameplay in terms of the slow build-up. You also seem to have a lot more control over how you set your team out to play. I feel like there’s a lot more freedom to this version.
“There was loads of people there at the event who were getting to enjoy the new FIFA. It was great to get some games in and get used to the gameplay. It was a really good evening.”
You can follow Jamboo on YouTube here!