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It's that time of year again. Bust out your consoles, computers and controllers, because it's FIFA season. With FIFA 19 just days away, EA has been revealing each player's official ratings. Arguably the most important stat (besides the overall rating of course), pace is what grabs a lot of attention every year, as it's an indispensable part of any team. With that in mind, here are this year's fastest players.
#10 Sadio Mané
Liverpool - Senegal
Coming off a season where he scored 20 goals and assisted another 9 in all competitions in 44 games alongside Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino in what could potentially be Europe's deadliest front three, the Senegal and Liverpool star's efforts have been reflected in this year's card.
Get the latest FIFA 19 Player Ratings only at Sportskeeda.
A 2-point overall increase from an 84 to an 86 and a 1-point pace increase from a 93 to a 94 make Mané one of FIFA 19's most tantalizing assets. Having already hit the net 4 times in the league since the start of the season, his stats could improve still, a scary thought for all Ultimate Team players.
#9 Kekuta Manneh
FC St. Gallen - United States
In the market for a cheaper option? Look no further than Manneh, the budget Mané. This little-known American international currently plies his trade for Swiss Super League side FC St. Gallen. He has seen his overall go down from 70 to 69 due to his recent struggles in both the MLS and Liga MX, but his pace has stayed the same, sitting at a blistering 94.
#8 Kingsley Coman
Bayern Munich - France
The young French international and Bayern Munich winger's strong 2017/18 campaign where he scored 7 times and assisted 8 in 33 appearances has afforded him an overall increase of 4 points, from 79 to 83. His speed has followed suit, going up by 2 points from last year's 92 to a 94.
#7 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Arsenal - Gabon
The Gabon and Arsenal striker has seen his overall rating go down somewhat harshly, as despite his amazing 31 goals and 7 assists in 38 games across all competitions last season in both Germany and England, he's dropped from an 88 to an 87. The same has happened to his pace, as last year he was at an eye-watering 96. It is a testament to his phenomenal speed that even a 2 point decrease still keeps him in the top 10.
#6 Jurgen Damm
Tigres - Mexico
Though not a world-beater like some of the other names on this list, Mexico and Tigres right midfielder Damm is the first to break away from the pack. A 76 in FIFA 18, he is now a 75, but that shouldn't be a deterrent to anyone looking to use him.
His 95 pace makes him a bargain considering how cheap he is, and we all know how even a little bit of dribbling and shooting, in combination with a lot of speed, can give players of the game nightmares.
#5 Leroy Sané
Manchester City - Germany
Controversially left out of Germany's World Cup squad and a key part of Manchester City's record-breaking, title-winning season, Sané's stock has been rising rapidly. It was as recently as FIFA 17 that he was a 79-rated prospect. A year later, he jumped up to 82. Now, he's been rewarded with an 86 off the back of a stellar campaign in which he registered 14 strikes in addition to 19 assists in 49 matches, which in no small part was due to his blinding pace.
Accordingly, that has gone up as well, from a 94 to a 95. He also set the Premier League record when his sprint against Chelsea clocked in at 35.48 km/h, the fastest since records began during the 2013/14 season.
#4 Douglas Costa
Juventus - Brazil
Another winger benefiting from a strong year is this Brazil and Juventus wide-man. 6 goals and 14 assists have given him a long overdue 4 point boost, from FIFA 18's 82 to this edition's 86.
This has carried over into his pace statistics, since last year he was at 92, whereas this time around he sits at 95. Will Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival in Turin have an impact on his playing time, and therefore his stats?
#3 Gareth Bale
Real Madrid - Wales
A player who's always been renown for his speed (think back to the 2014 Copa del Rey final where he made a fool out of Marc Bartra), it is no surprise to see Bale on this list yet again. Though his overall decreased by 1, he still put up solid numbers last season (21 goals, 7 assists in 39 games) in which he had his best scoring campaign since his first year in Madrid back in 2013/14.
Despite the dip, his pace did in fact increase, from a 94 to a 95. With Ronaldo's departure however, his production will undoubtedly soar. He already has 4 goals and 3 assists in only 6 games so far across all competitions. How good is he going to get?
#2 Kylian Mbappé
Paris Saint-Germain - France
The hottest name in world football right now, we all know this generational talent is going to be big. The only thing that's left to determine is just how big. Not since the days of Messi and Ronaldo's youth have we seen such a meteoric ascent. Winning the World Cup with France and being the world's 2nd most expensive player ever at just 19 years of age, who knows what the future has in store.
He's so young that he made his FIFA debut in 2017, where he had an overall of 71. This increased by an obscene 12 points for FIFA 18 (83 overall). This year, he's officially taken his place among the world's elite after scoring 21 and setting up 15 in 46 matches for PSG last season, all while taking home the World Cup's best young player award after scoring 4 goals at the event.
A key element of his game is his other-worldly speed, which was on full display in Russia. Who can forget how he obliterated Argentina's back line? EA has also recognized this, which is why his pace has gone up from a 90 to a 96, enough for the title of joint-fastest player in the entire game.
#1 Adama Traoré
Wolverhampton Wanderers - Spain
Playing an integral part in Wolves' return to the English top flight by hitting the back of the net 5 times and assisting another 12 in 40 appearances, in turn netting him 2 point overall increase, which includes a 3 point pace increase, from 93 to 96, which makes him the fastest player in the game alongside Mbappé, although he is actually listed above his French counterpart in the official list.
Many have questioned EA's choice here though, as they argue that Mbappé is actually faster, both in game and in real life. Do you agree with their decision, or has our favorite developer botched the ratings yet again? We'll find out when FIFA 19 is released for all platforms on September 28th.
