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FIFA 19's winter ratings refresh was recently conducted, with as many as 138 players receiving boosts in their ratings.
While the results of the refresh were more or less along expected lines, there were a few surprises EA had in store for the fans.
The likes of Eden Hazard and Lionel Messi failed to get an increase in their ratings, while others like Lucas Torreira and Nikola Vlasic were the recipients of quite significant boosts.
Several players' cards were also upgraded from silver to gold as just reward for stellar displays on the pitch over the course of the first half of the season.
Now, with all that done and dusted, we take a look at the five players who have received the biggest upgrades in FIFA 19's winter ratings refresh.
(As many as 6 players received a boost of 5 rating points, but only the two players with the highest overall ratings have been considered).
#5 Luka Jovic (75 -> 80)
The Bundesliga has witnessed several breakout stars this season, and Eintracht Frankfurt striker Luka Jovic is among the best of them.
Jovic has starred for Frankfurt, scoring 15 goals in just 22 leagues games, and is in a heated race for the Golden Boot with Bayern Munich superstar Robert Lewandowski.
Jovic is one of just 23 Bundesliga players to receive an upgrade in the ratings refresh, but his is by far the most significant.
The 21-year-old's base rating was just 75, with shooting rated at 74, passing at 62 and dribbling at 73. Those have all received significant upgrades as expected, with his overall rating now rising to 80.
That could increase by several notches in FIFA 20, where he is expected to be rated at 82-83 at least.
#4 Frenkie de Jong (77 -> 82)
Frenkie de Jong could not have asked for a better season. Having secured a dream move to LaLiga leaders Barcelona in January, the Ajax starlet then proceeded to toy with the Catalans' arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Champions League, putting in a stunning performance to knock them out of the competition.
His displays have been adequately rewarded, with the 21-year-old receiving a 5-point upgrade from 77 to 82. Consistent performances like these and he could well be looking at an 85-rating in FIFA 20.
De Jong received major boosts in defending, passing and physicality, with each of those traits rising by more than three rating points.
Despite the 5-point gain, de Jong is still not Ajax's best player in FIFA 19; that honour belongs to Hakim Ziyech, who rose from 82 to 84 during the winter upgrades.
#3 Krzysztof Piatek (70 -> 76)
Krzysztof Piatek burst onto the scene with his performances for Genoa at the start of the season, which earned him a January move to Milan.
He has continued his goalscoring exploits at the San Siro as well, scoring four goals in his first three games, and sits just one goal shy of Cristiano Ronaldo with 18 goals.
Piatek's displays have earned him a whopping 6-point boost in the winter upgrades, moving from 70 to 76.
While 76 seems a bit too low for someone going toe-to-toe with Ronaldo, Piatek is expected to hit the 80-mark at the very least in FIFA 20 if he can keep up his performances.
Piatek's card has also been upgraded from silver to gold, with significant increases in his pace, shooting and dribbling abilities.
#2 Aaron Wan-Bissaka (70 -> 76)
When the latest ratings were revealed, many felt Aaron Wan-Bissaka had been short-changed with just a 6-point upgrade.
Stats indicate that the Crystal Palace right-back is the best tackler in all of Europe's top leagues, and that was evident in the upgrade he received, with his tackling stats going from 73 and 78 to 82 and 88 respectively.
Wan-Bissaka is also the only Premier League player to have been upgraded from a silver to gold card and is well on course to usurp the likes of Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier to become the best right back in English football.
#1 Jadon Sancho (72 -> 78)
Earlier, we had predicted that Jadon Sancho would be the player to get the highest upgrade, and boy did we hit the nail on the head!
A rating of 72 was simply far too low for a player who has taken the Bundesliga by storm this season, and many felt the upgrades would result in Sancho breaching the 80-mark, at the very least.
However, that's not the case as the Dortmund starlet received just a six-point boost, going from 72 to 78.
Sancho's card has been updated from silver to gold though and he is one of several Dortmund players to receive major boosts in their ratings. The likes of Marco Reus and Axel Witsel too received significant upgrades, with both players' ratings increasing by three points.
Coming back to Sancho, the traits that EA truly addressed were his shooting and passing, which went from a woeful 56 and 62 to 64 and 69 respectively. Those numbers still seem inadequate for someone who, at the age of just 18, already has a Player of the Month (October 2018) card to his name.
