FIFA 19: 9 players who could be rated over 90

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FIFA 19

EA Sports' latest edition of their annual money-making video FIFA 18 was a mega-hit with over 10 million copies being sold. With the 2017-2018 season having come to an end, video game-cum-football aficionados would have turned their heads to the 2019 version which is close to its official launch. FIFA 19 officially launches worldwide September 28 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Cristiano Ronaldo will be back as the FIFA 19 cover star and will be joined by Brazil star Neymar Jr for the Champions and Ultimate Edition covers. In keeping with their traditions of a demo, EA Sports is likely to announce their player ratings well before the 28th.

Football is a game of opinions and the ratings are no different. However, the fact is that FIFA ratings showcase a player's footballing ability, with these ratings based on their performances from the past year of football. Most, if not all players will undergo some kind of changes in their ratings after having played a season-long of football which included a World Cup this time around.

Get all the latest FIFA 19 Player Ratings only at Sportskeeda.

Only the best of the best of footballers will be able to breach the much famed overall rating of 90. Last season, we had 11 players make it to the 90's. It was Cristiano Ronaldo that finished top of the class with a rating of 94 with Messi just behind him at 93. We also had several superstars hovering around the 88/89 marks who put in stellar performances in 2018. EA Sports could reward these players upgrades and as a result, quite a few players could enter the 90's in this edition. Here are the 9 players who could take their ratings beyond the 90's

(All stats have been taken from whoscored.com)

#9- Robert Lewandowski - 91

Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski

With Luis Suarez looking off color for the most part of the season, his ratings are likely to have taken a hit and I expect that he will fall outside of the top 10 in 2019. Taking his position in the top 10 as the best number 9 in the game is Bayern Munich's, Robert Lewandowski.

While he didn't produce anything spectacular like his 5 goals in 9 minutes as such, Robert Lewandowski was still the most important player for Jupp Heynckes's side. It is hard to imagine where the Bavarian side would have been if Lewan'goal'ski wasn't with them. The Polish international netted 41 times in 48 appearances across all competitions while their second highest goal-scorer Thomas Muller finished with just 14 goals.

Verdict: Robert Lewandowski could retain his 91 rating.

#8- Luka Modric - 91

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Luka Modric

Luka Modric was the metronome of the Real Madrid team of 2018. The Los Blancos won three Champions League trophies on the bounce on the back of some clinical Luka Modric performances.

Lukita doesn't have the same numbers as Ronaldo to prove himself as the vital cog of Madrid - you need to watch his game to see what he brings to the team. Modric's skills on the ball, his passing range, and general ability to find space in crowded areas is second to none.

Playing in an advanced role for his country, Modric was the orchestrator-in-chief for the side. He captained his team to the final for the first time ever in their history. It was his wonder strike that won them the game against Argentina that got his side up and running.

His dribbling and passing ratings in the game have deservedly put him among the top technical central midfielders in Europe. However, his defensive ratings are criminally low. He has often been dismissed for not doing the dirty work. Modric silenced all those haters at the World Cup by covering an astonishing 72.3 kilometres (highest, that too by playing in an attacking midfield position). The Croatian captain might not have won the World Cup but he did win the Golden Ball and so he might just have won himself an upgrade in the 2019 edition.

#7- Mohammed Salah - 91

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Mohammed Salah

When Mohammed Salah arrived at Anfield, not many expected the Egyptian forward to flourish immediately given his previous struggles in the Premier League at Chelsea a few years ago. However, the former Roma man silenced all his doubters breaking multiple records in the process.

With 32 goals, Salah ran away with the Premier League Golden Boot and the PFA Player of the Year Award. He also led Jurgen Klopp's men to the Champions League final with 10 goals. The Egyptian wizard was second only to Ronaldo. If not for the shoulder injury in the final, he could have outdone Ronaldo and pipped him in the race for the Ballon d'Or.

The shoulder injury prevented him from playing in Russia for the first game in Russia. However, the returning Salah scored in the next two games for his country. Yet, Egypt weren't good enough to progress to the knockout stages.

The forward started out with an 83 rating and at the end of the winter upgrades, he was at 85. He was rewarded many boosted cards throughout FIFA 18 – his highest being a 98-rated beast of a player. An increment of 6 points in 2019 could be on the cards (pun intended) for Salah.

#6- David De Gea - 91

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David De Gea

David De Gea is almost certain to be the best keeper on the game – narrowly defeating Manuel Neuer, who spent much of the season on the sidelines owing to a foot injury.

While keeping a clean sheet is the collective effort of the team, it was largely thanks to the former Atletico keeper that Manchester United managed to maintain 18 (highest) clean sheets. The Spanish goalkeeper was pivotal in keeping the Red Devils in the fight for second place. It was the first time that he won Premier League’s Golden Glove award for the first time in his increasingly decorated career. In addition to this, he won the Player’s Player of the year and a record-breaking fourth Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year under Jose Mourinho.

The 2017/18 season was De Gea’s best in a Manchester United shirt, with the Spanish stopper making a number of game-saving blocks, in particular on their away visit to Arsenal and in the Manchester derby. He deserves an upgrade, and he might just have to settle for ja one-point improvement as a result of those uncharacteristic errors he made while donning the La Roja shirt.

#5- Kevin de Bruyne - 92

Kevin de Bruyne
Kevin de Bruyne

Manchester City would not have raced away to the Premier League title with a record-breaking 100 points if it wasn't for the man who orchestrated it from the middle of the park - Kevin De Bruyne.

With 8 goals and 16 assists in the league, De Bruyne was in the form of his life. He continued his success under Pep Guardiola with his Belgium manager in Russia. Roberto Martinez never let the Manchester City no.10 settle at a single position. De Bruyne who was employed both as a winger and in a deeper role, delivered when it mattered most with a fine long-range goal to knock Brazil out of the tournament.

Previously rated 89, an increment of 3 points would be fair for the winner of the former Chelsea star.

#4- Eden Hazard - 92

Eden H
Eden Hazard

Chelsea were barely the team that won the title in the 2016/17 campaign. They had a season to forget as they finished outside of the top 4.

If it wasn't for Hazard, Chelsea would not have made it to the Europa League either. He was the only spark in a team that was clearly on the wane. The Belgian had 12 goals and 4 assists by the end of the season. He also scored a superb goal against Manchester United in the FA Cup final to give the Londoners their only title.

At the World Cup, Hazard captained a very talented Belgium side - their Golden Generation - to a third-place finish. The Madrid-linked player was unstoppable at the World Cup. He completed the tournament with most dribbles - 40 successful dribble at 6.7 per game - both record highs.

Much more elusive and technical on the wing, a jump of 2 from his previous 90 rated card could be in the offing for the Belgian.

#3- Neymar Jr - 92

Neymar
Neymar

While still slightly below Messi and Ronaldo, Neymar is in the upper echelons of the talent. The Brazilian was in blistering form for PSG since his record-breaking move from Barcelona. Neymar, alongside Mbappe and Cavani was instrumental in ensuring the Ligue 1 was back in the French capital.

In Russia, it was his Brazilian teammate Phillippe Coutinho that ran the show. Neymar failed to stir up the magic we expected from him. His diving antics didn't impress the majority and he failed to really bridge the gap between himself and Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Neymar toyed with the defenders at the Parc de Princes. The former Santos player was even chosen to be the game's cover star this year. However, he plied his trade in a relatively weaker league and was far from what you'd expect from a 92 rated player in Russia. As a result, we're unlikely to see him climb points or go down the ladder. He'd probably retain his 92 overall rating with a slight bump in individual attributes of pace and dribbling.

#2- Lionel Messi - 94

Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi

Messi is as good as ever at 30 years old. With 33 goals (highest ), 12 assists (highest ), 84 chances created (highest), 174 successful dribbles (highest), the Argentine was virtually unstoppable in Spain. He championed Barcelona to yet another Copa del Rey and more importantly, reclaim the La Liga double.

In the 2018 game, his performances throughout the season earned him plenty of upgrades. However, his standard card was still rated at 93 even at the end of the Winter Upgrades. It was also criminal of FIFA to give Messi a passing rating of just 86 in 2018. Messi outperformed Cristiano Ronaldo for the most part of the season, save for the World Cup. And for that reason, the ideal thing to do would be to boost his passing score and level his overall rating with Cristiano's. Given that the Portuguese is rated at 94, the fair thing to do would be to jump him from 93 to 94.

#1- Cristiano Ronaldo - 94

Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo

The phenomenon that is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro just keeps on doing the impossible season after season. Lionel Messi didn't make it count on Europe's biggest stage or in the World Cup but the former Madrid man sure did. With those crucial goals against Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus in the Champions League including a breathtaking overhead kick and a hattrick against Spain in Russia, Ronaldo is sure to land his sixth Ballan d'Or. The 33-year-old netted 44 times for the Los Vikingos en route to their 13th Champions League title and a third-place finish in the La Liga.

The cover star is usually one of the highest rated players and Ronaldo is that. He could possibly retain his rating and thus, his pole position in the game with a 94 card.

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Edited by Krishna Srinivas V