Cristiano Ronaldo is undisputedly one of the best players in FIFA 17. The Portuguese player has managed to score at least 285 goals for Real Madrid compared to his 118 for Manchester United. Just like in real life, Ronaldo has also changed quite a lot in the FIFA franchise as well. Given that EA has chosen Ronaldo to be the face of FIFA 18, it is only fair to see how he evolved along with the franchise:
FIFA 05
Ronaldo had become a star by the time FIFA 05 released. Though he had just played for United for one season, EA saw him fit enough to give him a rating of 88. They did manage to acknowledge his talents, and he was given a rating of 84 and 90 for passing and crossing respectively.
FIFA 06
By the time FIFA 2006 was out, Ronaldo had already started to make a name for himself at Old Trafford. He had caught EA’s attention by then as his ratings jumped to 91. Fans were slightly sceptical about FIFA 2006 ratings as he had scored only 5 goals during his second season under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
FIFA 09
By 2009, Ronaldo had hit his peak for Manchester United and was considered to be a force to be reckoned with. He had scored a total of 31 goals during the 2007/08 and went on to win the Champions League, which promoted EA to give him an overall rating. Moreover, his infamous free-kick against Portsmouth that resulted in a goal ensured that his free-kick rating rose to 94.
FIFA 10
FIFA 10 came out after Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid. However, contrary to what people were expecting from him at the time, he had a sub-par season with Manchester United which caused his ratings to drop to 89. It really did not help that Lionel Messi had taken the spotlight away from him. He was given a rating of 95 for ball control and 93 for dribbling.
FIFA 14
FIFA 14 saw Ronaldo turn into a complete striker as he had just hit the 30-goal mark during the 2012/13 season. FIFA Ultimate Football had just become popular and it allowed players to realise how powerful Ronaldo was in FIFA. Despite the fact that his free-kick accuracy dropped to 79, his shot power reached its peak at 94 and had an overall rating of 92.
FIFA 17
The previous instalment in the franchise crowned Ronaldo as the best player of the game, and eventually overtook Messi with a rating of 94. EA had improved his ratings significantly after he won the Champions League with Real Madrid and Euro 2016 with Portugal. In FIFA 17 Ronaldo’s speed rating was upgraded to 92 and his dribbling and passing stats were boosted to 92 and 93.
FIFA 18
It was quite shocking to see Ronaldo become the face of FIFA 18. However, given his performance in the last season it feels like he rightfully deserves to represent the world’s most popular football simulation. Recently the Portuguese player was key to Real Madrid’s success in the Champions League as he scored during the final match against Juventus. While his official stats are not revealed yet, there’s no doubt that he is will have extremely good ratings in FIFA 18.
