Ratings for the world’s footballers on games like FIFA, Pro Evolution Soccer and Football Manager are now more accurate than ever before.

They need to be as accurate as possible, too, because this is what fans expect. Consumers want these games to be as lifelike and realistic as possible and it’s down to the game developers to make that happen.

The companies behind these popular video games hire researchers to provide statistical feedback and the ratings are pretty spot on for many of the elite players these days.

A lot of the lesser-known players at lower-league clubs are also surprisingly accurate these days, and that’s testament to the amount of research that goes into making these games.

However, it can’t be nice to be a footballer and discover that you’re one of the lowest-rated players on the entire game.

This is what happened to 18-year-old Scott Pollock, who has an overall rating of 51, when FIFA 20 hit the shelves a couple of weeks ago.

The teenager, who joined League Two side Northampton Town in 2018 after previously playing for Hashtag United, was giving the chance by YouTuber Kieran Brown this week to show what a 51-rated player can do in real life - and the results may surprise a few people.

Passing (53)

Pollock has 53 for passing on FIFA 20, which is pretty low - although the modest teenager thought that was okay for a bronze card.

Kieran had a go at the passing drill and successfully completed 1/4 of his attempted passes.

Pollock then stepped up and nailed 3/4 of his.

Crossing (51)

Again, Pollock’s crossing was decent. His low-drilled crosses and floated crosses were both impressive during the drill.

Pace (64)

The two lads then went head-to-head to see who could sprint from one edge of the box to the other in the quickest time.

Pollock did it in 5.48 seconds, while Kieran was just behind on 5.73 seconds.

Not bad!

Volleys (42)

Pollock nailed some stunning volleys after being teed-up by Kieran, who couldn’t believe the Northampton midfielder is only rated 42 on the latest version of EA Sports’ hugely popular video game franchise.

Dribbling (54)

Pollock has three stars for skills on FIFA 20 - which isn’t too bad - but Kieran felt it should be higher.

Ball control (51)

His ball control also looked very clean during this particular drill. The way he killed the ball dead with his chest and then controlled it with his neck was class.

Weak foot (Three stars)

Pollock felt he deserves at least an extra half-a-star from EA and he proved that his left leg isn’t just for standing on with some sweet strikes.

Shooting (43)

This was broken down into the following categories...

- Shot power (39)

The ball was linked up to an app for this drill and Pollock recorded 76 for two separate shots - the highest stat Kieran has seen with this particular ball.

- Finishing (45)

Pollock produced three composed finishes - including a lovely chip - past the goalkeeper.

- Curve (51)

He can certainly get some bend on the ball. Pretty impressive.

- Penalties (42)

He’s also very handy from 12 yards.

- Accuracy (47)

This is Pollock’s highest shooting stat and he was close with all of his attempts to hit top bins, but it was actually Kieran who won this battle.

- Long shots (43)

Not bad again for the final drill.

So, there you have it. Joke about a 51-rated player all you like, but they’re still much better at football than almost all of us will ever be.

Watch the video in full here…