EA Sports’ FIFA 17 is one of the best football-based video games. It has been six months since its release and the initial craze has passed. We have already finished the journey mode a few times and played with several clubs in the career mode.
Now it is the time that we look forward. Earlier, we had discussed how a few players were criminally under-rated on the game. This time around, though, EA is pulling all stops to rate all the players appropriately such that the final ratings give a true reflection of each players’ on-field capabilities.
Some of the players, we hear, are set to receive a major boost in their ratings. Here is a list of five players who are likely to get a boost in their ratings.
#1 Lionel Messi
Barcelona playmaker Lionel Messi, who is widely considered as one of the best players of this generation, was rated 93 on FIFA 17. In the process, he saw fierce-rival Cristiano Ronaldo take on his mantle as the highest rated player on the game.
Yes, last season was probably Ronaldo’s season and Messi had an average season (by his own standards). However, this year the little Argentinian is looking to turn the tide. He has been in top form for Barcelona both in the league and in the Champions League whereas Ronaldo is yet to hit the ground running.
With a superb run of performances, it is likely that Messi will see his overall rating rise by at least one point (if not two). Word is, if Ronaldo does not do something incredible in the latter half of the season (which he is perfectly capable of), he will lose the crown of the highest-rated player on the game to one Leo Messi.
#2 Antoine Griezmann
France star Antoine had had his best season last year which saw him coming third on the Ballon d'Or list as well as the FIFA Player of the Year list. Of course, all his achievements appeared bleak in front of those of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
However, his rating on FIFA 17 left many baffled. Where every player’s ratings had been boosted, he got an 88, something that every other good player had been rated. Griezmann had proved that he is in the same league as Ronaldo and Messi’s last season and yet his rating on the game did not quite reflect that.
Nevertheless, he has hit the ground running yet again this season. As an impending transfer to Manchester United awaits, it is being speculated that the star will get a huge boost in his ratings on FIFA 18. Griezmann will be rated somewhere along the lines of 90-91 that will get him at par with Neymar on the game.
#3 N’golo Kante
N’golo Kante is on course to becoming the first player to win two back-to-back Premier League titles with two different clubs. Last year, of course, he won the title with Leicester City following which he moved to Chelsea in the summer.
However, despite his exploits with the Foxes (he had the highest number of interceptions and successful tackles in the league), EA rated him with a lowly 81. It was surprising because someone like Jack Wilshere, who had barely touched the ball last season, had received a rating of 82.
Anyway, Kante has proved all his doubters wrong this season. He has been a vital cog in Antonio Conte’s Chelsea. Flourishing in a free midfield role, he has shown the world what he is capable of. Various sources have testified that the Frenchman is likely to receive a massive boost in his rating that could see him becoming the highest rated central midfielder on the game.
#4 Dele Alli
Tottenham’s Dele Alli had a breakthrough season last year and has continued his brilliant run of form this season as well. His performances have not gone unnoticed and if rumours can be believed, there is a high chance that he will be one the highest rated youngsters in the game.
Alli, who is one of England’s hottest prospects, was rated at 80 on FIFA 17. However, given his young age, the rating seemed to be justified. But his capabilities on the football pitch seem to disagree with the rating on the game. This season he has already scored 11 league goals in 21 appearances, which is incredible for a midfielder
To reflect his true capabilities, Alli is set to receive a major boost in his ratings on the game. It is understood that EA will hand him an 85-86 rating card on FIFA 18 which will easily make him the highest rated 21-year-old on the game.
#5 Andrea Belotti
Italian forward Andrea Belotti has been in red hot form this season. After an average first season at Torino, the 22-year-old has shown the world what he is capable of this season. He has already scored 15 times in just 19 appearances in the Serie A.
On FIFA 17, he had received a low rating of 77. Given his performances in 2015-16, it was not something he could complain about. However, Belotti has definitely proved everyone wrong this term. An incredible scoring spree has seen him climb to second in the top scorer chart in Italy. Moreover, the fact that he always tracks back to win the ball back sets him apart from his contemporaries.
Many believe that the Torino striker will receive a massive boost in his overall ratings. It seems that a rating in the mid-80s will do his on-field capabilities justice and EA is about to hand him just that.
