Bundesliga
Jadon Sancho: "I always check out my rating on FIFA"
What does Jadon Sancho do when he's not on a football field? He puts himself back there virtually with FIFA 20, of course.
The Borussia Dortmund forward, like many professional footballers, is a keen partaker in EA Sports' legendary football game, and while he admits his real occupation is taking up more and more of his time, that does not stop him from jumping on his games console whenever he can.
"Compared to my childhood, I play a lot less now because there's a lot of training on the agenda and that tires me out, often so much so that I can't play much, but when I'm with the team in a hotel, we often challenge each other at FIFA," Sancho told Kicker magazine.
His first move is to sign up his friends – including former Hoffenheim forward Reiss Nelson – and, naturally, his current club colleagues such as Marco Reus, Paco Alcacer and Axel Witsel.
"Of course I get my own card as quickly as I can, and all of my teammates, but it's not always easy because a few players are too expensive for my team to start with," said Sancho, who has to break the bank just to sign himself – even if he feels his own value could be greater.
"I always check out my rating on FIFA and this year, it should have been higher," he said. "Especially my passing. I've already complained to EA via Twitter, but I'm sure it will increase over the course of the season. My actual statistics say it all: if you look at what I achieved last year, and the number of assists I provided..."
Sancho was one of Europe's leading assist-provider last season, setting up one goal more than Barcelona's Lionel Messi (13) with only Eden Hazard (15) bettering Sancho's 14, and the England international has already teed up four in five games this season.
Watch: assist-king Sancho enjoying his football at Dortmund
Such form should soon see his passing rating increase, but that is not the only addition Sancho would like to see in the next edition of FIFA. "I want my tattoo to be on it," he said, "And they should also get my hairstyle more accurate!"
While Sancho's stock continues to rise on the field, though, the finer details of his virtual persona will go unnoticed to the hundreds of thousands of fans he wows on a weekly basis in the Bundesliga.