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With less than a month to go for the latest edition annual franchise FIFA to drop, EA Sports have given the game's faithful a glimpse at their Top 100 players of the game along with several other details. FIFA 21 is a follow up to last year's edition, FIFA 20, which had Barcelona skipper Lionel Messi (94) and Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo (93) as the two highest-rated base cards in the game.
In this year's edition of the popular franchise, there have been a handful of upgrades, downgrades, and other changes that have been met with mixed reception.
While players such as Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho got a massive boost from 84 to 87, others, such as Thiago Alcantara — fresh off his treble season with Bayern Munich — received an astonishing two-point downgrade from 87 to 85.
The debate about which players should be rated higher or lower than their official ratings is one that is likely to carry on for the foreseeable future. However, here, we take a look at the ten highest-rated players in FIFA 21 as confirmed by EA Sports.
#10 Sadio Mane | Liverpool | Rating: 90
FIFA 20 Rating: 88
Kicking off this list is Liverpool ace Sadio Mane, who is part of three Liverpool players who make this list. The Senegalese forward was one of the best players in the Premier League last year and played a vital role in Liverpool's historic title win. Mane registered 18 goals and seven assists in the league last year for Jurgen Klopp's rampant Reds.
Apart from being one of the most devastating inside forwards in the world, Mane has also been one of the FIFA community's favourite cards over the course of FIFA 20. The 28-year-old was a heavily used card in last year's edition of the game due to his sublime pace and shooting, along with excellent stamina and the combination of 4-star skill moves and weak foot.
Mane retains all the abovementioned attributes in that made him a lethal card on previous editions in the upcoming game. With a well-deserved two-point upgrade, Mane is the tenth-highest rated player on FIFA 21. His pace rating of 94 (95 acceleration, 93 sprint speed) makes him one of the quickest players in the game.
#9 Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | Rating: 90
FIFA 20 Rating: 90
The other half of Liverpool's pair of breathtaking attackers, Mo Salah retains his rating of 90 from FIFA 20 in the new edition after another superb season at Anfield. The Egyptian icon was also a pivotal player in Liverpool's staggering 99-point Premier League season. Salah racked up 19 goals and ten assists over the 2019/20 English campaign, making him the Reds' highest goal contributor.
While Salah is an incredibly fun player to use on any edition of FIFA, the major con with his card is the fact that he has a three-star weak foot, which hampered his clinical nature in tight spots. Although he retains this relative weakness heading into FIFA 21, his four-star skill moves, 93 pace, and 91 finishing are sure to make him a lethal player on the game.
The 90-rated Egyptian forward is undoubtedly going to be one of the most favoured players on FIFA 21 after a spectacular season with Jurgen Klopp's side. He is the ninth-highest rated player in the game.
#8 Kylian Mbappe | Paris Saint-Germain | Rating: 90
FIFA 20 Rating: 89
FIFA 21 cover star Kylian Mbappe's stellar rise continues to reach new heights after ripping it up in the Ligue 1 and UEFA Champions League in the 2019/20 campaign. The Frenchman became one of the first players in FIFA to have been chosen as the sole cover star not just for the Standard Edition, but also for the Champions and Ultimate Editions.
Mbappe scored 18 goals and set up five in France last year, taking up just 20 appearances to do so. In the UCL, the 20-year-old helped PSG reach their first-ever final, and scored five and assisted as many during their dream run. Mbappe's prowess in real life as well as FIFA need no introduction as his 89-rated card was arguably one of the most overpowered players on FIFA 20.
The FIFA 21 ambassador's attributes that made him a weapon in the previous editions have not only been retained, but upgraded in the upcoming game. Mbappe's pace rating, clocking at a staggering 96, makes him the fastest player in the game, and he also has five-star skill moves with a four-star weak foot. The Frenchman's 91 finishing and 91 dribbling complete the set of attributes that makes him a godly player in FIFA 21.
Also read: 5 Football superstars who picked Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi
#7 Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool | Rating: 90
FIFA 20 Rating: 90
Much like Mbappe, Virgil van Dijk needs no introduction whatsoever after an absolutely stunning season in the heart of Liverpool's defence. The Dutchman played every single minute of the Reds's victorious Premier League campaign and was one of the most crucial figures for what is the best defence in England.
The Reds conceded just 33 goals in 38 games, and Van Dijk had a considerable role to play for this sublime record. The towering centre-half was always viewed as one of the most colossal defenders on FIFA as well, but his 90-rated card on FIFA 20 is regarded as one of the most effective centre-back cards of any edition of the game.
With an improved overall defending rating of 91 this year, Van Dijk goes into the game as the best defender available and is the only defender to have an overall rating of 90. Sergio Ramos of Real Madrid is the only player who comes close with a rating of 89. With 90+ ratings for three out of the five defensive attributes, Van Dijk is expected to be the gold standard for defenders on FIFA 21, much like in real life.
#6 Jan Oblak | Atletico Madrid | Rating: 91
FIFA 20 Rating: 91
Atletico Madrid keeper Jan Oblak retains his status as the highest-rated goalkeeper in the game for the third year running with an overall rating of 91. The Slovenian custodian is widely regarded as the best shot-stopper in football and is a four-time winner of the prestigious Zamora Trophy in Spain, awarded to the best goalkeeper in LaLiga Santander.
Only Spanish champions Real Madrid (25) conceded lesser goals through the course of the 2019/20 LaLiga campaign than Los Rojiblancos (27), highlighting Oblak's sublime ability. The 27-year-old former SL Benfica keeper managed 16 league clean sheets and saved 83 out of the 110 shots he faced on his goal.
Oblak is a mighty shot-stopper on FIFA as well, and this year, he boasts of an incredible set of attributes including 90+ ratings for reflexes, positioning, and handling. The Slovenian international is the only goalkeeper in the top ten list.
#5 Neymar Jr | Paris Saint-Germain | Rating: 91
FIFA 20 Rating: 92
Arguably the best non-special item on the previous edition of the game, Neymar Jr enters FIFA 21 as the fifth-highest rated card on the game as per EA Sports' official website. The Brazilian superstar was the chief architect of Paris Saint-Germain's fairytale run to the final of the UCL in 2019/20 and helped his side to their seventh Ligue 1 title in eight years.
Neymar was in the midst of a record-breaking season after scoring 13 goals and setting up six in just 15 league games. However, he was struck by untimely injuries, which led to him missing 14 competitive games of PSG's curtailed season. He was, however, instrumental in the UCL whenever he has been available, with three goals and four assists in just six starts.
Despite a one-point downgrade in the upcoming game, Neymar is undoubtedly one of the most effective players on FIFA 21. The Brazilian's famed five-star skill moves and weak foot combination by default makes him an unstoppable force, which is coupled with 91 pace, 94 dribbling (only second to Leo Messi), 86 passing, and 85 shooting.
#4 Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City | Rating: 91
FIFA 20 Rating: 91
Kevin De Bruyne enters FIFA 21 as arguably the most well-rounded card not only on this list, but of any top-tier card in the game. Manchester City's majestic Belgian was one of the best players in the world last year and levelled Thierry Henry's record of 20 assists in a Premier League campaign, becoming only the second player to achieve this feat in England.
Overall, De Bruyne contributed with 13 goals and 20 assists in the league, and was awarded the PFA Player of the Year award for his incredible campaign. He ran riot from the heart of City's midfield and was the star of the show nearly every time Pep Guardiola's men took to the pitch. The dominant midfielder retains his 91 rating from FIFA 20, albeit with a couple of minor upgrades.
The Belgian international has been given a +1 rating boost for the passing and dribbling departments, along with a +3 for the defending attributes as whole. De Bruyne's 93 passing, 88 dribbling, and a combination of four-star skill moves and the famed five-star weak foot make him a titan in midfield, scoring and creating goals with the utmost ease.
Also read: 5 Currently active players with most assists in Europe
#3 Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | Rating: 90
FIFA 20 Rating: 89
Undisputedly the best centre-forward through the course of the 2019/20 campaign, Robert Lewandowski heads into FIFA 21 as the third-highest rated player. The Pole is fresh off a historic second treble with Bayern Munich, and had an incredible part to play in the Bavarians' triumph.
Lewandowski enjoyed a career-best season during which he scored a staggering 56 goals across all competitions in just 46 games. The 31-year-old was simply unstoppable in any competition he played in, firing Bayern Munich to glory across all fronts. Lewandowski was one of the deadliest strikers in the game last year even at a rating of 89, and this year, he's gone up a few notches.
The Poland striker got a whopping four-point upgrade in the shooting and passing departments on FIFA 21. His well-deserved two-point overall upgrade reflects well in terms of in-game stats as well, with 94-rated attributes for positioning and finishing, and 86 strength. This, coupled with Lewandowski's four-star combo of skill moves and weak foot, makes the Bayern forward one of the game's most clinical strikers.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo | Juventus | Rating: 92
FIFA 20 Rating: 93
After being widely regarded as the most 'broken' card over the last few FIFA editions, Cristiano Ronaldo continues his reign as one of the two highest-rated cards in the annual EA Sports franchise. The Juventus frontman heads into this game on the back of one of the greatest-ever season by a Juventus player, breaking a host of records along the way.
Ronaldo was simply unstoppable for the Bianconeri in the 2019/20 campaign across all fronts. The Portuguese scored 37 goals and fired Juventus to their ninth successive Serie A title and Ronaldo's second in as many years. The 35-year-old also became the fastest-ever player in Serie A history to reach the landmark of 50 goals, taking just 61 games to hit the milestone.
Although the one-point upgrade does not reflect well on his spectacular season in real life, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid legend is undoubtedly one of the deadliest players in the game. With a joint-highest finishing stat of 95, 89 pace, 95 reactions, and his trademark five-star skill moves and four-star weak foot, Ronaldo is one of the best players on FIFA 21.
#1 Leo Messi | Barcelona | Rating: 93
FIFA 20 Rating: 94
It isn't surprising to see Lionel Messi leading the list of the best players on FIFA 21 after the stunning season that he had. The Argentine legend became the first-ever player in LaLiga history to register figures of 20+ goals and assists in a league season, having finished the campaign with 25 goals and 21 assists. Although Barcelona relinquished their league title to rivals Real Madrid, the Blaugrana skipper did not disappoint.
Messi has largely been regarded as the best player in the world, but was overshadowed by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar in previous editions of FIFA. However, the Barcelona captain was a devastating player on FIFA 20, and judging by his stats on the upcoming game, the Argentine is set to be an incredible card.
With a joint-high finishing stat at 95, highest overall dribbling in the game at 95, 96 composure, 91 long and short passing, 94 free-kick accuracy, and a host of other jaw-dropping ratings, Messi is going to be the most exceptional attacker on FIFA 21. The Barcelona skipper also retains his four-star combination of weak foot and skill moves, making him simply the best player in the game, much like his status in football alongside his contemporary, Cristiano.
Also read: 5 Greatest career achievements of Lionel Messi
