5 footballers in FIFA 23 who should have a lower overall rating

FIFA 23 was recently made playable for some EA Play subscribers, thanks to a bizarre glitch on Xbox. With a few players having complete access to the full game a month before its official release date, social media was flooded with leaks about squad ratings, stats, and even the official soundtrack.

Most of these leaks revealed individual player ratings for every popular club in the world, obviously creating a lot of hype and discussion on Twitter. Fans are debating whether some of the ratings are justified or not, as the roster has received some major upgrades as well as downgrades.

EA Sports took several factors into consideration to determine player ratings based on their performances in the recently concluded season. However, one can argue that they have been far too generous with some of the ratings in FIFA 23.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinions.

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These players had an underwhelming 2021/22 season, leaving fans surprised at their ratings in FIFA 23

1) Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard's fall from grace has been a hard one to watch for football fans across the world. The Belgian maestro was regarded as one of the best players in the world during his time at Chelsea, but following his move to Real Madrid in 2019, he has struggled to regain his form.

Last season was no better for Hazard, as he barely started any games for the Spanish giants during their La Liga and Champions League winning campaign.

Plagued by injuries, the 31-year-old winger is rated 84 in FIFA 23 and has been downgraded by only a single point. This is rather surprising, considering how strict EA has been with their ratings with other players like Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho.

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2) Gerard Piqué

In his prime, Gerard Piqué was one of the best defenders in the world. He has certainly proved his worth alongside the likes of Carles Puyol at Barcelona and Sergio Ramos for Spain, winning countless titles and individual accolades.

However, his age finally seems to have caught up to him, as his performances have been poor in the last few seasons.

Gerard Piqué is rated 83 in FIFA 23, receiving only a single rating downgrade in comparison to last year. This puts him on par with teammate Ronald Araújo, which seems unfair, considering that the latter has carried the Barca defense for the entirety of last season.

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3) Jordi Alba

Sticking with the theme of Spain and FC Barcelona, Piqué's teammate and defensive partner Jordi Alba has suffered from similar issues. Proving himself on both the club and the international stage, he has earned a reputation as one of the best left-backs in the world over the last decade, but has struggled during the last few seasons.

Interestingly, the 33-year-old Spaniard is rated 85 in FIFA 23. This single-point downgrade places him above the likes of Alphonso Davies and Ferland Mendy, and on par with Theo Hernandez in terms of ratings, all of whom have performed significantly better than Alba last season and are youngsters who will continue to grow and improve.

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4) Marco Asensio

Due to Gareth Bale's injuries and poor form, Real Madrid's right flank has been their weak link for the past few seasons. This is a major issue as Madrid's offensive tactics place a heavy emphasis on wing-play. However, Carlo Ancelotti experimented with a different system last season, often using Valverde as a free-roaming box-to-box right winger.

Marco Asensio's loss of form after taking the world by storm in 2018 has come as a shock to many fans who have backed him to be the next big thing in world football.

Asensio has somehow managed to retain his 83 overall rating in FIFA 23, which is surprising, considering he only had 14 goal contributions in over 40 appearances last season.

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5) Kai Havertz

Chelsea FC have had a shaky start to the 2022/23 Premier League season, winning just two out of their first five games. They showed promise last season with several impressive performances, but ended the season with no trophies.

Kai Havertz signed for Chelsea in 2020 and is regarded as one of the finest young talents in world football. However, he is yet to deliver on these lofty expectations.

Last season, the German made almost 50 appearances for Chelsea and managed 20 goal contributions across all competitions, a rather disappointing number considering his advanced offensive role in their midfield. Despite this, he has retained his 85 rating in FIFA 23.