Watching Lionel Messi play on a football pitch is a joy. Playing with him in FIFA 17 is an even more blissful experience. Rated at 93 overall, the Barcelona playmaker falls behind Cristiano Ronaldo on the overall rating list.
However, with his dribbling ability at 96 and pace at 89, he is so much better than the Portuguese superstar in the game. Playing with him, you can easily beat defenders for fun – dodging the standing tackles and evading the sliding ones is as easy as it gets.
However, getting him in your Career Mode team or Ultimate Team line-up (whichever you favour), is not so easy. In career mode, even if Barcelona accept your colossal transfer fee, Messi would not easily agree on leaving his childhood club. In Ultimate Team, you have to shell a minimum of 838,000 coins (Futbin data) in order to get him.
Thus, as ardent gamers, we are always on the lookout for a cheap alternative. Here, we list five such players with similar attributes as Messi but are way cheaper and affordable.
(Stats and Cost taken from Futbin and Sofifa)
#5 Leonardo Suarez
Villarreal’s Leonardo Suarez is a relatively unknown quantity. The 20-year-old plays in the youth setup of the La Liga club and has not yet burst onto the main scene. However, several scout reports have claimed that his traits are similar to those of his fellow countryman, Lionel Messi.
Suarez’s overall rating in FIFA 17 stands at a meagre 71, but he has the potential to go up to 82 in the game. What sets him apart is his incredibly high agility (88) and balance (91) ratings. Also, for a player whose overall rating is only 71, his dribbling at 81 and pace at 78 are pretty impressive.
Playing with the Argentine in the game is also very enjoyable as you can easily skip past tackles and make your way towards the opposition goal. Yes, finishing can be troublesome on a few occasions, but his ability to make incisive passes more than makes up for it.
If you start with a lower league team in the Career Mode, Suarez is a very smart acquisition at only €2.8m. Sadly, though, he is not available in Ultimate Team.
#4 Juan Iturbe
Roma’s Juan Manuel Iturbe has not featured in the Serie A this season as much as he would have hoped to and was loaned to Torino recently. After showing early promise, his career never really took flight. However, at 23, he still has time on his hand to realise his true potential.
The Argentine’s career graph might be on the decline in real life but his stats in FIFA 17 are enviable. An overall rating of 77 does not quite give the complete picture. Iturbe’s pace stands at 92, while his dribbling is at 84. His balance and agility, at 91 and 92 respectively, are incredibly high as well.
The right winger has very similar attributes to those of Messi in the game – he can dribble past defenders at ease, and easily outpace opponents. Even his long range shots come in handy several times. But as is the case, his finishing is a cause for concern.
In Ultimate Team, Iturbe costs as low as 1400 coins, a fraction of what Messi costs while in Career Mode he is a good buy at €9.5m.
#3 Iuri Medeiros
Iuri Medeiros is yet another exponent of Portugal’s flourishing pool of pacey, creative wingers. The 22-year-old is at Boavista, on loan from Sporting CP and has impressed with his dribbling and passing abilities. He is known for threading deft through balls and creating goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates.
He has earned an overall rating of 77 in FIFA 17, with his dribbling at 81 and pace at 82. The Portuguese has the ability to beat defenders with ease, as well as sending his teammates through on goal with accurate through balls. A high balance at 92 helps Medieros to be on his feet as he takes on the opposition.
Moreover, a high free kick accuracy of 75 and the high potential of 86, makes him a brilliant player to have in your team. Very much like Messi, he can be used to run with the ball and create scoring opportunities.
In Ultimate Team, the youngster costs a meagre 400 coins as opposed to Messi’s high value. In Career Mode, he is valued at €10.5m, which is justified considering his high potential.
#2 Emre Mor
Emre Mor created waves when he joined Borussia Dortmund from Danish side FC Nordsjælland in the summer window of 2016. Dubbed as the Turkish Messi, Mor plays in right wing as well as in the central attacking midfield.
At first glance, his rating in the game would not appear to be much special. In a very accomplished Dortmund side, his 64 rating sticks out like a sore thumb. However, a whopping 87 pace and 81 dribbling make him nigh on untouchable. Also with an agility of 94 and balance of 95, he can hardly be shaken off the ball.
Mor’s dribbling in the game is actually better than many of the stars of the game. His finishing, though, is a bit questionable, but it is a joy to play with him in the game. The 19-year-old also a high potential of 84 that makes him a brilliant acquisition.
If you want to buy him in the Career Mode, Mor will cost you less than €1m. In Ultimate Team he can be bought for 15,000 coins only.
#1 Mohammed Salah
AS Roma’s Mohammed Salah is setting Serie A ablaze with his awe-inspiring form this season. In only 18 appearances the forward has already scored 9 goals and assisted six times. Last season he had managed 14 goals in 34 appearances and Roma did not waste any time to sign him on a permanent deal.
In the game, he has earned an overall rating of 81, which is decent enough considering he is only 24 years old. However, his dribbling and pace ratings are immense. With dribbling at 86, Salah can easily skip past tackles while his 91 pace helps him to run past defenders with considerable ease.
Unlike the others on this list, his finishing, at 77, is also pretty decent. While you can easily run past the opposition, at the same time, you can finish off most of the chances with Salah. Also, his potential of 86 makes the Egyptian an interesting acquisition.
His normal card in Ultimate Team will cost you only 1500 coins and at that price, he is a must-have. In the Career Mode, however, he is valued at a high €23m but even that is justified for a player of his qualities,
