FIFA 17: 10 Players Who Will Be Downgraded

9. Luiz Adriano

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Sergei Grits/AP

A couple of years ago, Luiz Adriano was impossible to ignore. With 20 goals in 25 league games for Shaktar Donetsk during the 13/14 season, some clubs’ interest was peaked.

The following campaign, his domestic record wasn’t so impressive as he netted just nine but it was on the European stage where he excelled. He became the second player after Lionel Messi to score five goals in a Champions League match, and equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of scoring nine in the group stage. Oh, and he overtook Andriy Vorobey to become Shaktar’s all-time leading goalscorer with 117 goals.

Was the 29-year-old ready for a move to a big club? There’s probably a reason the Brazilian has only ever been capped four times. He managed just four goals in 25 games for AC Milan after sealing a move last summer. After they were understandably unimpressed, they tried to flog him to China only for him to fail to agree personal terms with Jiangsu Suning.

He’ll be turning 30 this year, and will be desperately trying to recapture the magic of his time in Ukraine before his time in Europe comes screeching to a halt.

FIFA 16 Rating: 79

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Contributor

Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future. Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.