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FIFA 21 is less than a month away from its early October release date, and the hype for the annual franchise is well underway. EA Sports have already given the fans a glimpse of several ratings for players in the upcoming edition of the game with several surprising upgrades as well as downgrades, including those of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
EA Sports released LaLiga Santander's best XI as part of the ratings reveal, and it is a team that is unsurprisingly dominated by record 34-time Spanish champions Real Madrid. Los Blancos enjoyed a stellar season under Zinedine Zidane and overcame a deficit at the top to prevail victorious over fierce rivals Barcelona.
Leo Messi's side had a season to forget across all fronts, having recorded their first season in over a decade without a single trophy. After a long and drawn-out transfer saga, Leo Messi eventually ended up staying at the Nou Camp, which means that LaLiga continues to boast of the highest-rated player in the game.
Real Madrid, Barcelona-dominated combined XI revealed
Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak is the only player in the XI that does not play for either one of Spain's football giants Barcelona or Real Madrid. The Slovenian is regarded as one of the best shot-stoppers in the world, and is the highest-rated keeper in the game at 91.
The all-Spanish defence consists of two pairs of Real Madrid and Barcelona defenders. On the left, Jordi Alba (86) takes up the full-back spot with Dani Carvajal (86) on the other side. In the heart of defence are two of Spanish football's biggest modern legends, Sergio Ramos (89) and Gerard Pique (86).
The Real Madrid captain is the second-highest rated player in LaLiga and second-highest rated defender in the game, only behind Virgil van Dijk (90).
The midfield is entirely dominated by Real Madrid, with Zidane's famed trio of Luka Modric (87), Casemiro (89), and Toni Kroos (88) taking up the three spots. Kroos and Casemro in particular were instrumental in their 34th top-flight title win.
Further forward, Real Madrid's record signing Eden Hazard retains his spot as the highest left-sided forward in the league with an 88 rating. The Belgian forward endured a nightmare debut campaign in LaLiga and saw a three-point downgrade from his rating of 91 on FIFA 20.
Real Madrid legend Karim Benzema, one of the best players in the league last year, takes up the centre-forward role in the side. The Frenchman enjoyed one of his best seasons in recent times and, as a result, was boosted to a rating of 89.
Barcelona skipper Messi rounds off the side on the right with the highest in-game rating of 93. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner became the first-ever LaLiga and Barcelona player to register over 20 goals and 20 assists in a league season.
Despite Barcelona's torrid campaign, Messi's quality was never in doubt, and his status is reflected in the game as well.
Also read: 10 Highest rated players on EA Sports FIFA 21
