September 10 – Game developers EA Sports have dropped a ratings bombshell ahead of flagship game FC25’s release later this month, as Lionel Messi is handed his lowest rating in 16 years.
The announcement came as part of a social media post by the developers showcasing their top 25 rated players in the upcoming game – a ranking lead by last year’s frontrunners in Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.
Fellow Man City star Rodri joins the two familiar faces at the top of the ranking with an identical rating of 91, marking a record rating for a defensive midfielder.
Impacted by his move to the MLS one year ago, Argentina star Lionel Messi received a rating downgrade from 90 to 88 – marking his lowest score in 16 years.
The most notable upgrade was to cover star Jude Bellingham, who leapt from 86 rated to 90, making him one of the most sought-after cards from the start. The boost was well deserved, with the player having become one of the world’s best since completing his move to Real Madrid one year ago.
Of the top 25 players in the new game, 11 belong to the Premier League whilst 10 are in LaLiga, with one player from the Bundesliga (Kane, 90), Ligue Un (Donnarumma, 89), Serie A (Martinez, 89) and MLS (Messi, 88) respectively.
Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk retaining his status as the game’s top-rated defender (89), whilst the newly-upgraded Lautaro Martinez card (89) showcased EA’s makeshift Inter Milan logo after the club signed an exclusive deal with rivals Konami last week.
EA Sports dropped an identical post for female players, as Aitana Bonmati claimed the top spot for the first time by matching Rodri, Mbappe and Haaland’s rating of 91.
Teammate and compatriot Alexia Putellas was knocked down to 90 after holding top position last year. She is joined by teammate Caroline Graham Hansen and Chelsea star Sam Kerr.
A notable snub was Man City’s Bunny Shaw, who recieved no upgrade despite her status as WSL player of the year. Instead, she is ranked fifth behind Kerr (90), Mead (88), Reiten (88) and Hemp (86).
The full men’s list is as follows:
Mbappe – 91
Haaland – 91
Rodri – 91
Bellingham – 90
Vinicius – 90
De Bruyne – 90
Kane – 90
Odegaard – 89
Alisson – 89
Donnarumma – 89
Courtois – 89
Martinez – 89
Van Dijk – 89
Salah – 89
Ter Stegen – 89
Foden – 88
Griezmann – 88
Dias – 88
Lewandowski – 88
Messi – 88
Valverde – 88
Ederson – 88
Silva – 88
Oblak – 88
Rudiger – 88
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1732339802labto1732339802ofdlr1732339802owedi1732339802sni@g1732339802niwe.1732339802yrrah1732339802