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What's the story?
Manchester United invested heavily this summer in Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku and the gamble seems to have paid off with the forward scoring four goals in three games so far. But what comes as a surprise is that Lukaku's worth has increased so much in a very short time that he now appears to have overtaken even Real Madrid's prolific goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo.
FIFA Mobile now shows Lukaku with a healthier rating than Madrid's talisman Ronaldo who is forced to occupy the fourth spot in the latest FIFA Mobile official ratings. The list sees Chelsea's Eden Hazard top the lot with an astonishing rating of 100, with the likes of Lukaku, Paulo Dybala and Ronaldo hot on his heels with a rating of 99.
In case you didn't know...
Ronaldo has become the official cover star for the FIFA 18 video game which releases on 29th September and is widely tipped to be the highest-rated player in the annual franchise. But it appears that in FIFA Mobile, his fate is very different.
The heart of the matter
The seemingly bizarre list of names in FIFA Mobile features MLS team Seattle Sounders' striker Jordan Morris right behind Cristiano Ronaldo with a pace rating of 115, way ahead of Ronaldo's 101. Looking at Lukaku's numbers, the Belgian beats Ronaldo only in one particular attribute and does so handsomely. The Manchester United striker has a strength rating of 102 which is miles ahead of the former United player's 81-rated physicality.
Form makes a difference too one can argue, with Lukaku's blistering goal scoring form for United giving him numbers that would be hard to beat.
However, Lukaku and Ronaldo's shooting attributes are pale in comparison to the leader of the pack Eden Hazard. The Belgian has 105 shooting according to FUThead.com and is a clear winner in this particular field. The likes of Dybala and Gareth Bale all come close to this number but cannot breakthrough ahead of the fiery Chelsea man.
What's next?
FIFA Mobile continues to attract gamers with its alternative rating system and unique playing mechanism but FIFA 18 remains the ruler of the roost when it comes to football gaming. The beloved series is back in September on PC, Xbox One and PS 4.
Author's take
The somewhat surprising numbers clearly show that it may be a matter of time before Ronaldo loses his number one status and is forced to yield to a younger and more capable player in the near future.
