ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI | PES 2017 STATS | 2019-2021

This is Robert Lewandowski at his brilliant best. During Hansi Flick's era he becomes arguably the best striker in the world, inspired Bayern to a historic treble (second ever for the club) and establishing himself as European Golden Boot winner in 2020-2021 season. He was on course to become a Ballon d'Or Winner, but sadly missed out on the award due to the cancellation. In this period of two or three years, Lewandowski really was devastating, simply unplayable every time he stepped on to the pitch.

He was breaking record after record, setting a new standard of how many goals a striker should've score during the course of the season. He's close on breaking Cristiano Ronaldo's record in the Champions League, scoring 15 goals and became the competitions top goal scorer. In Bundesliga he maintains his standard, scoring 34 goals in 2019-2020 season, and 41 goals in 2020-2021 season, the later which breaking an all time highest goals scored in a single Bundesliga season, previously held by Gerd Muller, a record which was thought by many as "unbreakable".

Lewandowski really is a perfect striker in a structurally strong team. Played with expansive 4-2-3-1, Bayer under Hansi Flick emphasize great positional play, energy, speed, and discipline, pretty much similar to Guardiola's Barcelona. Lewandowski who has a very strong link up play was very beneficial to this system, as he was supported by the unorthodox Thomas Muller and two very fast wingers in Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman. Muller who's main strength is finding space and moving constantly often found himself exchanging positions with Lewandowski, making the marking from opposition's defense seems impossible to do. Both wingers was also constantly supporting Lewandowski by linking up and play great crosses. But despite a strong team, Lewandowski has to stepped up his game to make everything works together. And as a great striker, he showed growth and maturity under Hansi Flick which is imminent in this set.

Surprisingly this set is not much different than the previous one during Ancelotti era, the obvious difference is in his aerial abilities, which is massively improving, and consistency. Lewy was also improving massively in his physicality, during this era he seems so strong while holding up the ball or engaging in physical duel. During this era Lewy add a bit of clutch and decisiveness in his game, this was due to his much improved consistency. And for this reason, he scored a lot of important goals in the biggest stage vs great opponents (i.e. Chelsea & Barcelona). There's a slight caveat though as he's still a bit wasteful with his finishing, sometimes he just overdoing things in front of goal. Just imagine how many goals he would score had he got a better shooting accuracy. But apart from that Lewy is an embodiment of perfect "modern" striker, that should be talked about more as one of the all time great.

ANTOINE GRIEZMANN | PES 2017 STATS

An absolutely talented and unique player, Griezmann is full of craft and poise in everything that he does on the field. People said he was a flop at Barcelona, but the reality is he was still one of their better players, especially upfront. He brings unpredictability, could pops out everywhere on the pitch and makes something happen, due to his intelligence and vision. The one thing that is undeniably degrading in his later career is his finishing, that is started to get inconsistent. He also seems to lost a bit of composure in the final third, and quite wasteful with his shooting, this has impacted his output which was reducing significantly compared to his time at Atletico.

The opposite can be said about his passing though, as in his time at Barcelona, he could consistently shown incisive and smart passing, especially the short ones. As he gets more and more mature technically, we could also see that his ball control is ever increasing, in fact could be given God tier value. Despite getting older, his stamina is also incredibly gets better, he's just relentless in every game, often goes deep and winning the ball back while also showing good pressing.

Despite all of these feats, he was clearly not a good fit for Barcelona, as they already have somebody that could operate better in similar position namely Lionel Messi. This means Griezmann often found himself playing on the left, which limit his influence in the game. But once he was given the right system to operate, straight away he become this incredibly attacking but also hardworking player, evidently in the World Cup 2022, where he was arguably become France's best player.

LUIS SUAREZ | PES 2017 STATS | 2020-2021

One of a true legend of the game, Suarez was forced out by Barcelona the season before and ended up in the Capital City of Madrid, eventually helping Atletico won their first La Liga title since 2013-2014, and also awarded as La Liga Player of the Season. This was Suarez with his last remaining abilities as a top striker, before eventually had a massive drop and seen as unable to compete at highest level.

Physically still a beast, Suarez has strong physique and a bit of nimbleness, even for his age, making him an elusive striker who's difficult to handle. His direct pressing, aggressive face-on style of play suits perfectly with Simeone system, as for this season he still has a bit of durability and stamina. Technically still great, he still has intelligent movement off the ball, top notch ball control, great passing and link-up play, elite finishing and decent dead ball execution. The one thing he noticeably lacking is of course his pace, which was relatively gone by this time. In this season he heavily relies on fast wingers feeding him crosses and cut backs. He scored a lot of goals as the result of this, and also helped by the fact that Atletico's midfielders were on top form throughout the season i.e. Yannick-Carrasco, Koke, and Marcos Llorente who were playing consistently in this period.

Suarez was still incredible during this season, and successfully proving everybody's wrong, including Barcelona who dumped him the previous season. His resilience and relentlessness is truly something to admire.

JOSHUA KIMMICH | PES 2017 STATS | 2019-2021

Kimmich is a great midfielder, a generational talent, and for me personally, one of the best player for the past decade. His emergence as a top talent could be credited to Pep Guardiola. The way Pep spotting young talents are incredible, almost ridiculous at this point. At Barcelona he promoted Busquets and Pedro, at Bayern he brought Kimmich form RB Leipzig, and at City he promoted Foden, all of which become some of the best players in the world. Kimmich might just be the best of the bunch.

Kimmich started playing as a regular for Bayern Munich since his early 20s, when he arrived at the club in 2015-2016 season. At that season Bayern had a period of shortage in Central Defense, thus Kimmich was deployed as CB for quite a number of occasion. Surprisingly, he played very well in that position, showcasing his versatility and high level understanding of the game. He was also deployed for quite a number of times at right back, and delivered great performances there. From what I see, Kimmich maybe is a great learner. He must have learned defensive skills when he was deployed at SB or CB. He's now operating mainly as CMF, but somehow he still has the defensive awareness of a defender, which he might get from playing in those positions. So he's a CMF, but doesn't abandoned his qualities that he get from playing as SB or CB. This makes him a very complete player. He's like a combo of Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger.

This particular set is for the period of a couple of years during Hansi Flick era. The standout attribute is of course his technicality, especially his passing quality. The passes that he made were reminiscence of Paul Scholes or Schweini at times, which has insane accuracy, especially the long ones. He's also  seems to have endless energy and stamina, a characteristic that's usually associated with a fullback. He doesn't have good physicality unfortunately, so in terms of brute strength and physical duel he basically offers nothing. This aspect was not a probelm when he plays for Bayern though, as his tandem Goretzka is a very strong and physical player. The problems come when he plays for Germany however, as he's often paired with Gundogan, who doesn't have decent physicality. This makes them a bit vulnerable at the middle of the pitch.

ARJEN ROBBEN | PES 2013 STATS | 2012-2014

One of the all time great attacker, or I could as far to say the best winger of all time, Arjen Robben brings joy and fantasy during his spell at Bayern Munich. Strong, technical, and rapid, Robben is an absolute terror for any left back in world football, often does the most predictable move yet extremely hard to stop, that is cutting inside from the right flank to shoot or pass.

During the period from 2012 to 2014, he was at the absolute peak of his powers. Scoring and performing in a decisive manner with a high level of consistency. No matter what the competitions are, be it Bundesliga, Champions League, or World Cup, Robben was always feared by any opposition. The stats above say it all; perfect close control and extremely high intelligence in attack, and deadly finishing is a true representation of how good he was during this period. One could argue that even with the ridiculous stats presented above, some aspects could be boosted by a point or two, in particular Dribble Accuracy (DA) and Shot Accuracy (SA). SA could be pushed further into red zone, because frankly, his shot placement is unbelievable, second only to Messi. Add also the near PERFECT dribbling accuracy that might deserve higher DA, could be one or two points higher. I can't say it enough, Robben really was comfortably the 3rd best player in his era, only behind two GOATs of football, and arguably the best Bayern Munich player. A true legend of the game.

DIMITRI PAYET | PES 2017 STATS

One of the most technically gifted player that I've ever seen, his ability to pull out passes out of nowhere is extraordinary. He also possesses one of the best swerve ever, evidently from his free kicks at Wes Ham, but at his time in Marseille he elevate his technical level even higher.

Also I notice that he's started to decline physically, and so he has to adapt to even deeper positions, becoming a more static playmaker rather than a mobile winger. Again the way he pass the ball is incredible, I could as far to say that the accuracy is second only to Lionel Messi in Ligue 1. The dribbling ability is still there, but with significant decline of pace makes it less and less effective.

YAYA TOURÉ | PES 2013 STATS | 2013-2014

What an unbelievable player, especially in this season when he's very close to God level. Technically was one of the best midfielder ever in Premier League, with crazy passing, shooting, and free kick accuracy. Add to the fact that he's also a physical tank, makes him a bloody incredible player, crazy good.

He's deployed in a more advanced and creative role this season, and thus enabling him to showcase his crazy shooting attempts, and great final ball delivery. Also the runs that he makes are incredible to watch at times, it was like watching a teenager playing against a bunch of toddler. A lot of people was surprise by this performance, but in truth Yaya has always had these abilities, he just doesn't have the opportunity to showcase it.

ROGER IBAÑEZ | PES 2017 STATS

For the past decade Brazil national team always had a great stock of reliable CB, and Ibanez is going to be a great addition to what was already a long list. Very strong and aggressive when defending one-on-one, Ibanez has been a transfer target for a handful of Premier League Clubs. In addition to his defending skills, he has great composure on the ball, and good passing ability, makes him a perfect player for build up. But there's a downside to this too, as he so often show overconfidence in bringing the ball out from the back, risking his team's defense. He's very young though, and with more experience and consistency, he could potentially become a decent player.

DIEGO CARLOS | PES 2017 STATS

A tough, physically imposing defender with no nonsense style, Diego Carlos has been in the heart of Sevilla Defense alongside partner in crime Jules Kounde. He's a great ball winner, with great athleticism makes him a good defender in one-on-one situation. He's somewhat has an overlooked quality that is his ball distribution, especially his long passes that looks accurate. A complete package defender who's solely missed by Sevilla.

DARWIN NÚÑEZ | PES 2017 STATS

Darwin Nunez is a bizarre and chaotic player, though with proper coaching, he could become a very good player. I could understand why Liverpool splash in chunks of cash to get him, that is to add a dynamism to their game due to the way he plays, a tireless combative forward with great pace and strength. He's a bit uncultured type of forward, missed tons of chances due to erratic shooting accuracy. That's why a proper coaching is crucial to his development, he could become either a total flop or a truly devastating and dangerous player.

Now for the stats, his attacking instinct is great especially for his age, 85 seems to be a fair value for him, he constantly get into dangerous positions, the problem is he's so often miss control the pass or taking wrong decision. Again with proper coaching this aspect could be boosted by a couple of points or even further which is scary. Technically he's like average at best, could even gave him whites in dribbling, passing, and shooting, but his dribbling is not as bad as other aspects, because I've seen him showing accurate ball carrying ability but again, nothing really special.

The special aspect about him is obviously his physicality, like 2nd only behind Haaland for U-23 players. He's a complete package physically, great strength, energy, stamina, and speed, a real threat for any defenders. Though on paper he looks like a proper No. 9, he's at his best when attacking through counter attacks and transition. Somehow he's not efficient enough when deployed as a sole No.9 or a lone striker. He tends to play better in a 2 striker system that gives him a bit of freedom to move from left side of the pitch to a more central position. His raw talent is easy to notice by everyone, yet to reach his true potential he has to work a lot on the training ground.

KHVICHA KVARATSKHELIA | PES 2017 STATS | 2020-2021

This is my set of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, from his time at Rubin Kazan, just before the war. Footage of the Russian Premier League is quite difficult to find, so this set is mostly based on his matches for the national team, and a number of vs videos. I could honestly say he's a truly special player, the best player at the club, and also the best youngster in the league. He's so impressive at dribbling, the ball seems glued to his feet. His close control is very impressive. No fancy stuff, only PURE CLOSE CONTROL brilliance. But clearly, he still needs massive improvement, most noticeably at decision making, something that has become amazing since his move to Napoli.

It's surprising though that it took a couple of years for one of  the big teams to sign him. Juventus has reportedly been sniffing around, but there are too many circumstances that make them back off from the transfer. What a regret it is for Juventus, and what a brilliant move it turns out for Napoli with them clinching the first Serie A title for God knows how long, and Kvaratskhelia has proven to be the center of their success. Stats-wise, he truly deserves extremely high dribbling value. The ease of play and ball carrying looks unbelievable at times, capable of destroying Spain's backline all on his own. He's a real dancer. Not only is his dribbling devastating, but also beautiful at the same time. It's surprising also that those movements came out of a 6ft tall guy. The only tall guy that had this type of dribbling and agility was maybe Javier Pastore back in his Palermo days. He also has good vision and creativity, plus a thunderous shot with both feet.

This guy has a huge potential, and we can see it already on this set. I hope he could stay for a while in Serie A. The league seems to fit his style of play. An early move to one of the European giants might disrupt his progress and improvement as a player, so he has to make a wise career decision in the future, because, honestly, he has a liquid gold talent that's such a rarity in modern football.

WISSAM BEN YEDDER | PES 2017 STATS

Ben Yedder is one of the most underrated striker in Europe. He's been tormenting Ligue 1 since playing for Toulouse, consistently displaying great instinct in front of goal. And that's where his game is revolved in, a very good instincts to score goals. He relies mostly on quick movements and good link-up play to avoid his markers.

He also has a street footballer quality, displaying imaginative play and brilliant touch time and time again, that brings joy for most of Ligue 1 audience. With low center of gravity, Ben Yedder is unusually strong with the ball, capable of maintaining his balance when surrounded by opponents.

The Set truly represent what he is as a player. Not particularly athletic, his bulky frame means he doesn't have decent physicality and athleticism, though he is very nimble and slick with the ball, reflected on his amazingly high ball control. He also capable of injecting venom on his shots, probably one of the best shooter in Ligue 1, his shots are accurate and powerful. I love watching him play, there's a nuance of Parisian suburbs that I feel every time he touched the ball, a truly unique and special player.

JACK GREALISH | PES 2017 STATS

One of the most talented Englishman over the past decade, Grealish is a great dribbler, with an eye for incisive pass and trickery. Something that prevents him from reaching a better output is his lack of vision, and a one dimensional playing style which makes him looks so conservative at times. This is apparent in his first season at Manchester City, Pep seems to struggle how to really utilize his skillset, due to the lack of eagerness to create and attack.

Originally an AMF, he could also play as CMF or WF. Dribbling wise he's one of the best in the entire league, but tends to dive and draw fouls very easily. Also one thing to note from his weakness, he's so often picking the easy option after working so hard with his dribbling, which is very wasteful. He's still relatively young though, so a bit of time under Pep could boast his vision and understanding of the game.

FRANCESCO ACERBI | PES 2017 STATS | 2020-2021

A solid and reliable defender who was playing for Lazio during 2020-2021 season. Physically strong, Acerbi also has great awareness and very competent at covering spaces. Acerbi is highly rated in Serie A, being an important figure of Lazio's defense that was able to challenge the title in the previous season. Even at the ripe age of 32, Acerbi has a surprisingly decent stamina, allowing him to constantly cover up spaces that were left by other defenders, such as Patric and Radu who were converted full backs which has less natural instinct at doing it. Physically also Acerbi is one of the best defender in Serie A, who's very reliable in physical duel even with tall and strong strikers. The real weakness comes in  athleticism and pace, as he wasn't really an athletic player and relies heavily on his size. Surprisingly though he's a reliable player in build-up, this quality fits in well with Simone Inzaghi strategy, which main focus is to build up attack from the back. Not on the same level as lets say Bastoni or de Vrij, but still decent enough for a team like Lazio.

LIONEL MESSI | PES 2017 STATS | 2020-2021

This is Messi at the pinnacle of technical prowess. Near flawless first touch, PERFECT close control, and crazy shooting accuracy. He had ups and downs throughout the season, and this stats represent the high point during the turn of the year when he had a hot scoring streak and that magnificent Copa America run, when he showed amazing level and finally got his hand on the major international trophy that he's longed for so long.

His physicality is on a clear decline, yet somehow he can compensate for it with sharpness of mind and quick thinking off the ball. The vision and game IQ is still imminent, but he can't show it as frequently as before. It may be due to physical decline. This is why he struggles a bit to open up the game versus big teams, and add to the fact that unluckiness took part in this case. His body just seems to have lost a bit of aggression, meaning that he would get much less chance of getting into dangerous positions to hurt the opponent. This is also reducing his output, because he is now at a point where he relies heavily on moments rather than getting or creating dangers constantly. But boy does he DELIVER in some moments. This season you will see some of the best finishing of all time, like bottom corner or top corner placement that is amazingly accurate, the kind of shots that you won't see any player could do, at least at this level of consistency. I honestly can't think of a better finisher except Ronaldo Nazario in his Real Madrid days. It could also be argued that Messi has actually had this clinical shooting quality all along, yet this season in a highly dysfunctional Barca team plagued with injuries, he was FORCED to show this quality. The set up of his team really forces him to play at the absolute limit of his technical abilities, giving the audience some amazing moments yet clearly wasn't consistent enough to bring them the La Liga or UEFA Champions League trophy.

Despite only winning the Copa del Rey, he still did some amazing feats in this period. The first one is of course, winning the Copa America with Argentina, by carrying the team and showing some great performances. The second one is winning the Pichichi Trophy for the amazing 8th time, beating Karim Benzema by 7 goals in a team that lacks creative threat, and just missed out of scoring another 40+ goals in all competitions. I would describe this period as a period full of crisis for Messi. He was like a superhero in crisis, yet those difficult circumstances pushed him to perform on the pitch, and in result gave us some of the best moments of his career. What a way to close your chapter as a Barcelona player.

CREDIT TO PESSTATSDATABASE.COM

RIP PES STATS DATABASE

I dedicated this first post to credit what was to me, the best site ever wkwkwk... that is pesstatsdatabase.com

A site in which we could look into football players stats in every PES format (from the old gen PES 6 to PES 2020 as i remember). Pesstatsdatabase (PSD) always has been a part of my internet life, giving a fair and realistic views of football players ability in the form of PES Stats. My biggest thanks for all the mods that have created the site, and also allowing me to enter the site as a member and join some wonderful conversation in the forum.

In this blog i would try to post some of the latest stats from pesstatsdatabase in PES 2017 format with maybe a slight tweaks that i've done based on my views on the players ability. In every post i will try my best to explain the reasoning behind the stats, and my personal view of the players. Since the death of the site i try to save as many as possible players stats in PES 2017 format. The reason is because PES 2017 is currently the PES version that i've played the most for quite some time, and i've saved quite a bunch of players stats in PES 2017 editor.

I hope all the visitors could enjoy everything that i'm about to post in this blog, and feel free to add suggestions in the comments.

Last but not least, my biggest thanks for ejogc327 for providing an easy to use editing tool for PES 2017.

Best regards, CrispyCracker58

Edit: Turns out I still have some great sets in my PES 2013 and PES 2011 OF, so I will post some of them in this blog as well. Big thanks to www.fifacz.com for providing some legendary editing tools.