Defenders
Right-back: Lilian Thuram (92)
In terms of quality, Lilian Thuram probably doesn’t match up to the rest of his teammates. However, the matter of fact is that he is the best ever right-back to feature in the FIFA franchise. In FIFA 05, the Frenchman was rated 92 eclipsing the likes of Cafu and Javier Zanetti.
Again, Thuram did not have a particularly excellent season in 2003-04. In that season, Juventus were able to win only one trophy, they finished third in Serie A and were ousted in the second round of the Champions League.
Centre-back: Alessandro Nesta (94)
There were no less than nine central defenders who got a rating of 90 and above in FIFA 05. But it was one man who turned out on top with a rating of 94. AC Milan legend Alessandro Nesta beat out competition from Lucio, Jap Stamm, Paolo Maldini to be rated the best in the game.
The rating was justified as Nesta had helped AC Milan to their first Serie A title in 5 years. The Italian defender was even enjoying a stint of three straight years in UEFA’s Team of the Year at that time.
Centre-back: Fernando Hierro (94)
Fernando Hierro was the captain of a Real Madrid side that featured stars like Luis Figo, Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane and others. In FIFA 02, the central defender earned a rating of 94 although he was well past his prime at that time.
In his prime, Hierro was one of the most skilled defenders in the world. Known for his goal-scoring capabilities, the Spaniard helped his club to the La Liga trophy and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Left-back: Roberto Carlos (94)
Brazilian legend Roberto Carlos is the best attacking left back the sport has ever witnessed. In FIFA 02, he earned an overall rating of 94 thus making him the highest rated left back in the history of the video game. His pace and shooting ratings even touched the magical figure of 100.
In 2002, he helped Brazil to a record fifth World Cup title and even finished as the runner-up in the FIFA Ballon d’Or awards. This was one rating that EA got absolutely right.
