The moment I fell in love with Pro Evolution Soccer was when I volleyed in the most ludicrous goal I’ve ever scored in virtual football.

Or rather it was when the digital version of Argentinian left-back Marcos Rojo scored for me.

I was playing as Manchester United against Wolfsburg. It was the second half and I was trailing by a goal.

Attacking down the left side, I crossed the ball into the box and it was somewhat feebly headed away by a defender.

As the ball came down at the side of the penalty area back out near the left flank, Rojo caught it with a sweet right-foot volley. From a pretty acute angle, the shot flew through the area and swerved into the goal at the far post.

I don’t recall whether I meant to hit the shoot button or intended it as a cross, but it was a spectacular goal.

“I can’t believe that went in, that was a ridiculous goal!” I exclaimed to my wife sat behind me who seemed slightly uninterested in the magnitude of what had just happened as Peter Drury went nuts in the commentary box and my players celebrated.

“Wow!” I said to myself, smiling broadly as I started to watch the reply over and over.

It was a special goal, not just in the context of the match I was playing at the time, but also because it provided that eureka moment in helping me understand what the appeal of PES is.

News Shopper:

Up until this season I had stuck faithfully and exclusively to EA Sports’ Fifa series, dismissing Konami’s PES as an inferior imitation.

For a good while I think most people agreed Fifa was better, but in the past couple of the years PES has regained ground and is now considered by many to be as good or even better.

The clamour had become too loud to reject any longer, so this season I’ve played both games – finding (as I said in my Fifa 16 review) that they can co-exist, and both be enjoyed by players for different reasons.

News Shopper:

The main difference is the games offer very distinct styles of football.

Fifa is a more serious and realistic simulation. Its play is a bit slower, more challenging and cerebral – the emphasis is on possession football and cautious build-up play, carefully exposing opponents’ weaknesses and carving out chances.

PES has a crazier edge to it. It’s still a simulation but it’s much closer to the, dare I utter this word, arcade side. Its action is faster and more free-flowing – with matches more blood-and-thunder, end-to-end affairs which are generally more high-scoring.

It's expected you're in one camp or the other, PES v Fifa, but I don't see why you can't be in both. Rather than catering for different audiences, the two games can sit in your collection and be played depending on mood.

News Shopper:

There will be times when I want the authenticity of Fifa, the Premier League licence and the correct team names, kits and line-ups.

There will be other times when I want to cut loose with PES for a wilder football experience.

These will be the times when I won't care about the loose licences. PES has the Champions League and Europa League included (Europa League – cue look of derision), but it doesn’t have the Premier League. Also a lot of the team names have been changed – in the non-Premier League it’s Merseyside Blue v Merseyside Red if you want to repeat last weekend’s Everton v Liverpool clash. In fairness, team names, badges, strips etc can be modified but it’s a long-winded process.

These will also be the times when I want to do things I can't do in Fifa, such as score the incredible goal I described earlier or the other similarly inane moments I've had since.

It feels like PES is about the entertainment first and the realism second, and it’s easy to warm to the game as a result.

It’s the game to reach for when you have a throwback to being a kid and those dreams you had of one day being a football star who scores the winning goal in a major final. Chances are it wasn’t Fifa’s tight tactical midfield battles you imagined, but rather the Roy of the Rovers type of football that is more characteristic of PES.

In terms of its selection of offline and online modes, some of which are aped in PES in a fairly uninspiring way, Fifa is still the league champion. EA Sports also still has PES well beaten with how its game looks and the overall level of polish.

But when it comes to the core gameplay, there’s no doubt that PES 2016 provides a very credible option – and having two stars on the same pitch a la Messi and Ronaldo can only be good to watch for football fans who want to play the beautiful game at home.

8 out of 10

Out now on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC - PS4 version played