With a La Liga title and the first ever defence of a Champions League in over 20 years, Real Madrid have cemented their status as the best football club in the world. The win over Juventus gave the Los Blancos a record 12th Champions League title, their third in four years.
This Real Madrid team have become a dominant force and much like Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in the late 2000s, they are now the foremost football team of this generation. As is the case with teams which dominate continental competitions, Real Madrid's dominance also extends to the EA Sports FIFA realm. They were by far the all-around highest rated team in the game and even had the highest rated player in the form of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Due to their amazing success, the players are set to get major boosts in their overall ratings in FIFA 18. In this article, we have curated a list of those players who we think are most likely to receive ratings upgrades after a double-winning 2016-17 season.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (95/96)
The Real Madrid man was already the best player in FIFA 17 and the Ballon d’Or holder before playing a crucial role in Real Madrid’s historic twelfth Champions League triumph. The Portuguese’s transformation from flying winger to an out and out goalscorer now looks complete as he turned up on the biggest stage yet again to add a brace to his collection of 40 goals this season; the first time in six years that he has scored less than 50 goals.
FIFA 17 was launched with the Portuguese crowned the best player in the game with a rating of 94. This was expected after a glorious 2016-17 where he managed to win the Euros with Portugal and his second Champions League title with the Los Blancos. This year, he has gone one step further, winning his third Champions League with Real Madrid, the fourth of his career. En route to the final, the Portuguese hitman scored ten goals in five games which included a hat-trick against continental rivals Bayern Munich.
Another stellar season has shown that Ronaldo has not only been able to maintain his extraordinary levels but has also shown the ability to raise his game when it matters most. It is for this attribute and the knack of turning up on the big stage that we expect Real Madrid’s main man to improve on his 94 rating and get to an even higher level of 95 or 96.
#2 Marco Asensio (84/85)
The 21-year-old attacking midfielder was signed by Real Madrid in 2014 as a youngster with great potential. Real Madrid and the discovery of young talent do not usually go hand in hand, so when a youngster does make it big in Madrid, it is an achievement of note. The young winger has managed to do exactly that, sometimes even being picked on the flank ahead of Real Madrid’s most expensive signing, Gareth Bale.
The Spaniard, Asensio, has had a breakthrough season, contributing 10 goals in 38 appearances throughout the season, eclipsing even Bale’s output from the wing. To top off an impressive season, he even managed to score Real Madrid’s fourth goal in their Champions League triumph against Juventus.
In less than a year with Real Madrid, Asensio has already snapped up four trophies, adding the La Liga and the Champions League titles to a trophy cabinet which already boasted of a UEFA Super Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup.
An impressive season in which the tricky, pacy winger has advanced by leaps and bounds has seen his stature rise in the game and should have a similar impact on his FIFA rankings. Expect Asensio to move up to a rating of 84-85 and also receive a Spanish call-up in the coming months.
#3 Isco (87)
Isco’s quick feet and brilliant footballing brain have seen him bestowed with the “player with great potential” tag since his Malaga days. Blessed with the ability to twist and turn his way out of the tightest of spots and an uncanny knack of retaining the ball at all costs, Isco, for the past couple of years, has been fighting to fit into a Real Madrid side whose structure has not suited a player of his talents.
The traditional Real Madrid setup is a 4-3-3 which leaves no place for a CAM like Isco and this led to him struggling for game time. So when Gareth Bale got injured midway through the season, it was a blessing in disguise for the Spaniard. In his favoured role behind the striker, Isco came into life and went on to produce some of the best football of his career; so much so that when the Welshman was declared fit for the Champions League, he had to make do with a place on the bench.
EA Sports did a good job of quantifying Isco’s talents in FIFA 17, giving him a rating of 85. In the past season, however, Isco’s performances moved to another level and demand a ratings upgrade in the next edition. We think that a rating of 87 would be fair for a player of such talent.
#4 Casemiro (86)
The Brazilian defensive midfielder first played for Real Madrid whilst on loan from native club Sao Paulo way back in 2012. He was soon purchased by the Los Blancos in 2013 but was never a part of any manager’s plans at Real Madrid until Zinedine Zidane replaced Rafa Benitez at the helm.
The French manager decided to use Casemiro as his midfield anchor to liberate Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, a move which reaped handsome rewards in the form of two Champions League triumphs and a La Liga title. Casemiro has been a vital part of that, protecting the Los Blancos’ often brittle defence and breaking up play with great efficiency while popping up with the occasional goal.
Casemiro this season has been crucial to Real’s dominant show in Spain and Europe, providing an effective defensive barrier to a primarily attacking team. His goal also gave Real Madrid a 2-1 advantage in the Champions League final against Juventus to cap off a brilliant season. On the back of a wonderful season, we expect EA to upgrade Casemiro’s rating by a couple of points to around 86.
#5 Alvaro Morata (85)
The Los Blancos wisely inserted a release clause in Alvaro Morata’s when sending him off to Juventus. So good were his displays with the Old Lady that Spain's capital club were compelled to buy him back from Italy.
Although bought back for a hefty sum, Morata had to make do with a spot on the bench for the majority of the season. In spite of this handicap, Morata was arguably more productive than the Frenchman Benzema, scoring 15 goals in way fewer appearances.
On the basis of current form, Morata should ideally be a shoo-in for the central striker’s spot ahead of Benzema but Zidane for some reason prefers the BBC trio.
After taking his 15 goals for the season into account, Morata should at least be given a rating of 85, considering Benzema with 11 goals was rated at 86 in FIFA 17.
