What’s the story?
EA Sports announced on Monday that Cristiano Ronaldo will grace the cover of FIFA 18, which will be released later this year. This will be the first time that the Real Madrid star will grace the game’s cover.
However, some Barcelona fans are not happy with the fact that Messi hasn’t been chosen for the cover – claiming Ronaldo has slowed down in real life. They’re so unhappy that they want the Portuguese’s stats downgraded in FIFA 18.
On a FIFA sub-Reddit, one fan wrote: “Over the past two / three years it’s been clear that he has slowed down. I’m not in anyway saying his ability has declined, but having been watching the majority of his games this season and a few last season something has been made clear.
“He does not have 92 pace, and he does not have 91 dribbling. He is still clearly a world class player with world-class finishing and positioning, but if we are looking at players like Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben who had their pace nuked, surely Ronaldo has to have his downgraded, right?”
This post had over 200 comments with many people voicing their opinions.
In case you didn’t know...
Ronaldo capped off a brilliant 2016-17 with club and country, a season, which confirmed the Real Madrid striker’s status as the best footballer in the world, over closest rival Lionel Messi. The 32-year-old led Real Madrid to a double – they won the La Liga and the UEFA Champions League as the talisman scored a total of 48 goals in all competitions.
In addition to the above accolades, Ronaldo was crowned the best player in FIFA 17 with his card rated at an overall of 94. He also had a Team Of The Year (TOTY) card which was given an astounding rating of 99. He had a 98 pace attribute, 99 shot power, passing rated at 92 and 98 dribbling, in addition to a physicality rating of 94.
The heart of the matter
The FIFA 18 cover pits Ronaldo against Barcelona rival Lionel Messi in yet another category, as the Argentine has signed up to appear on the cover of Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer.
Messi has been on the cover of EA Sports’ FIFA series four times (13,14,15,16) and was set to make a return this year as Marco Reus had graced the cover for FIFA 17 edition). However, despite a series of amazing performances for Barcelona this season, his greatest rival was chosen over him.
Some Barcelona fans on Reddit even believe that Ronaldo’s numbers this season have been below par and believe that the high ratings given to his FIFA 17 card are an unrealistic summation of the Portuguese’s abilities.
Also Read: FIFA 18: Cristiano Ronaldo's evolution from 2005 to 2018
What’s Next?
It is likely that the Portuguese will still be the highest rated player in FIFA 18. However, it is possible that even if the overall rating is high, certain attributes like speed might be downgraded.
FIFA 18 is set to be released worldwide on Friday, September 29.
Author’s Take
Ronaldo’s role has visibly changed over the past couple of years as the Real Madrid man completes his transformation from a flying winger to an out-and-out number nine. It is true that his pace and dribbling ratings should be downgraded to a realistic value. However, even with a decrease in ratings, he’ll still be one of the best two footballers in the world.
Also Read: UEFA Champions League 2016/17: Team of the Season - Do Messi and Ronaldo make the cut?
