FIFA 18: Lionel Messi's evolution from 2005 to 2018

Lionel Messi in FIFA 17

Messi is arguably one of the greatest if not the greatest of all time. His skill and ability are second to none as is well documented by his stupendous record in world football. While comparisons with Ronaldo are bound to be made, Leo Messi has carved out a great path for himself by regularly proving why his claim to be football's best must be taken seriously. An astounding 538 goals in all competitions has made the Argentine maestro Barcelona’s top goal scorer by a landslide, and he doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon.

Messi’s FIFA journey is nothing short of impressive either. Debuting in FIFA 06, the little magician has steadily climbed the rating ladder and secured a position at the very top of the list. With age on his side, expect this stalwart to break more records and set new milestones for years to come. Keeping this in mind, we decided to explore the path of Messi by tracing his evolution in football’s elite video game.

FIFA 06

Messi in FIFA 06

Apart from the hideous photo, the statistics don’t make for great reading either in FIFA 06 for Lionel Messi. It’s hard to imagine that this all time great was once actually just rated 78! While it was clear that he had the skill, as can be seen by 88 in dribbling, most other attributes that we relate with Messi are fairly low since he had not announced himself on the world stage to a very large extent. Still in the shadow of Ronaldinho and others, Messi’s moment was slowly arriving.

FIFA 07

Messi in FIFA 07

With the release of FIFA 07, we can see a stark contrast in the rating of Leo Messi. The talisman of Barca jumped 6 points to 84 this year following a stellar season with his boyhood club. Another interesting change can be seen with his position. Messi was now well and truly a forward at Barca which allowed him more shots at goal and helped realise his true potential. He was shining in his new role and banging in the goals which helped Barcelona immensely. His dribbling jumped to 95 and acceleration to 92 making him one of the most potent strikers in very little time.

Messi in FIFA 11

Jumping to FIFA 11, Messi had jumped 6 points more to the indelible 90 mark, pretty much cementing him as one of the best in the world. By this time, the Argentinian was raking up the Ballon d'Or and had already bagged a Champions league medal with Barcelona. Here we see an increase in almost all attributes and a position of a winger in his arsenal, proving just how versatile he was, making every position his own and excelling in it. Very much Barca’s go to man, Messi even amassed 5-star skill moves and his shot accuracy was proving to be second to none. A defender’s nightmare!

FIFA 12

Messi in FIFA 12

In just one single season, Messi had now done it all. He was a multi time champions league and la Liga winner, the best player in the world award was back to him again, and if that wasn’t enough, FIFA 12 now rated him 94! His incredible rating made him almost untouchable while playing the game with insanely superior passing, dribbling, ball control and finishing. Add to that the pace and acceleration, and you now had a goal scoring machine in front of you. It was clear that FIFA had now made Messi the poster boy for their game and ensured that Messi’s legacy was never in question. He was well and truly, atop the food chain.

FIFA 15

Messi in FIFA 15

Reaching the top is one thing, staying there is quite another. With the likes of Ronaldo and others catching up, by FIFA 15 Messi had dropped a point to 93. While this was no doubt on his ability, it could be attributed to CR7’s insane form the season before and Real Madrid’s superior performances over Messi’s Barcelona as the two traded blows to be FIFA’s elite. Messi was still a hot commodity, however, with the centre forward position very much his speciality and impressive pace and dribbling statistics. While passing had reduced a notch, there was no doubt that gamers would still hope that their FUT packs gave them this very special gift inside.

FIFA 17

Messi in FIFA 17

Come FIFA 17 and a new look Messi treated gamers but behind the blonde exterior was the typical Messi magic. A solid 93, the frostbite engine on FIFA 17 made Messi look more realistic than ever. Add to that the dribbling ability and goal scoring prowess, and Messi was still very much in the loop for best player in the world. As could be seen in reality, Messi had now transitioned into a creator of goals more than a scorer, with more assists lining up and helping the likes of Neymar and Suarez hit the back of the net. His maturity and experience were there for all to see, and with his versatility on the pitch, gamers could play him up front or on the wings and he’d perform admirable everywhere. The smoothness of the game has set things up quite well to see what Messi will be rated in FIFA 18.