FIFA Ultimate Team: EA Sports rates Lionel Messi higher than Cristiano Ronaldo

Every year a new FIFA video game series comes out and shakes the market significantly. This has been an age-old tradition. However, it isn't the only age-old tradition that is associated with the game.

Whenever EA releases a newer version of their highly celebrated series, fans are always seen getting involved in what seems to be, the most important debate of all time, i.e., who is better? Messi or Ronaldo?

Even if you are not a big fan of the game, you still get to hear this question quite a lot. The struggle is real with the fans, in deciding who is the greatest of all time (GOAT). If we use the highly prestigious award, Ballon d'or as a yardstick, then Ronaldo has won four, whereas Messi has won five.

While fans go where their loyalties lie, EA Sports has also been decisive of who is a better footballer out of the two. When Ronaldo (94) was rated higher than Messi (93) in FIFA 17, whole populations of football followers went berserk. Some due to happiness, some due to disbelief.

This time, when FIFA 18 launched on the midnight of September 29, the fans rushed to the stores to get their hands on the newly launched divinity. It was being speculated for a while before the launch, that this time Messi will be rated higher, dethroning Ronaldo and sending him to the second rank.

The FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) ratings have been released, and although Ronaldo is the one to be on the cover of the game, Messi has been rewarded with a higher rating this time.

The Barcelona star has scored six more points than Ronaldo in passing, which means that Messi is better at short passing, long passing, free kicks, curve balls, and has a better overall vision while distributing the ball.

While Ronaldo is better at crossing, he has lower ratings than Messi in agility, ball control and dribbling. Talking about speed, which is known to be the forte of both the players, Ronaldo has a faster top speed, while the 5'7" striker accelerates like a Bugatti, acing his Portuguese counterpart.

While these numbers are taken to be reflective of the real growth of the players in real life, they are still just numbers. The fact is that both, Messi and Ronaldo, are contenders of the top rank. And in the game of football, nothing can be taken for granted.