‘Not watching!’ - Chelsea defender Thiago Silva accuses EAFC 24 of having their eyes closed after ratings reveal

The Brazil international defender, who is still going strong at 38 years of age, has seen his overall rating dip in the new game set to be released on September 29 by EA Sports. The commanding South American now has an 84-rated base card.

Silva has slipped by two marks in the overall count, putting him level with team-mate Reece James and two behind new Chelsea signing Christopher Nkunku. In a ratings reveal on the Premier League’s YouTube channel, Silva said when being made aware of his score: “They’re not watching football, they’re watching the games like this [with their eyes closed].”

While questioning his card, Silva did say when asked if he would change any of his attribute ratings: “Not really. I think that obviously offensively I can improve because I didn't get a single goal last year. This year I think I can improve my attacking because defensively I'm good.”

Chelsea are counting the cost of their 12th-placed finish in the Premier League last season, with Raheem Sterling also seeing his ratings dip from 86 to 83. The Blues have only seven players with ratings of 80 or over – Sterling, Silva, Nkunku, James, Enzo Fernandez, Ben Chilwell and Moises Caicedo – with summer recruits Romeo Lavia (73) and Cole Palmer (66) having to settle for silver cards.