West Brom striker Daryl Dike receives FIFA 23 strongest player honour direct from Adebayo Akinfenwa
West Brom striker Daryl Dike is the new joint-strongest player in FIFA 23 and received the crown direct from former holder Adebayo Akinfenwa in a video message.
The famously huge former Northampton forward retired after the League One playoff final with Wycombe Wanderers at the end of last season, bringing an end to his Beast Mode brand on professional football pitches.
This season that has meant that the American Albion front man is the new strongest player with a 96 strength rating, alongside Viktoria Plzen’s Tomas Chory, and the title was handed down over Twitter this weekend.
On his personal Twitter account on Saturday (17 September) Akinfenwa wrote: “End of a Era!!!!! Only right I announce fifa23 strongest player or should I say players. Congrats Dike & Chory may the BeastMode force be with ya. ps I never shared my title”
In the accompanying video with physical FIFA player cards he said: “It’s time. Bit emotional but it’s only right that I pass on the crown, the title, of FIFA’s strongest player. With the Beast Mode hat I dub the strongest player in the game. Yo, Daryl Dike, 96 strength. Congratulations my brother.”
Responding on his own Twitter account the Baggies striker wrote: “What an honor”.
Changing of the guard
The FIFA games are as popular among players as they are with fans so this is sure to be a significant source of bragging rights for Dike in the dressing room.
Unfortunately for Albion it is only within the game that he has been able to utilise that strength to any great degree since he made his January move from Orlando City.
He has managed just over 90 minutes of action in a Baggies shirt across three appearances since then, and his absence is part of why the form has been so stuttering over Steve Bruce’s reign.
After another relatively creditable draw against high-flying Norwich on Saturday (17 September), that does little to improve the club’s lowly league standing, the suspicion remains that were the USMNT scorer available to finish some of the chances this side creates things would be looking far more positive.
As it is, one strong win over Hull aside, the team frustrates by failing to take advantage of periods of dominance while still producing the odd stinker like the derby defeat to Birmingham in mid-week (14 September).
Dike has had appalling luck since he arrived at the Hawthorns and nobody will be wanting to turn that around than him, so if the planned push for the playoffs is to materialise it feels like it is going to need him involved for a sustained run.
In other West Brom news, Ron Gourlay apparently has his plans for the manager’s future already worked out.