The footballing elite is an unforgiving category for players to find themselves in. For fans, however, their ritual on EA Sports’ FIFA’s launch day is to browse for the best players in the game.
FIFA 17 was a huge hit but it did come with its share of flaws. However, with FIFA 18 just a little over six months away, we can look forward to its launch and hope that EA gets everything right this time around.
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Also read: What to expect from FIFA 18
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Here, we attempt to predict who the top 10 players in FIFA 18 will be, along with their rating.
#10 Robert Lewandowski (90)
Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski has been consistently finding his name amongst the top strikers in the world for the past two to three seasons. He has made it a habit to score goals and this season has been no different. The Polish forward has already netted 28 times across all competitions for his club and shows no signs of stopping. He has been impressive, not only stats-wise but over all aspects of the game.
In FIFA 17, he was one of the highest rated strikers with a rating of 90. You can expect the 28-year-old forward to be rated highly by EA once again, and although there is a slight chance of him getting a boost in his ratings, I would go with a 90 this time as well.
#9 Sergio Ramos (90)
Last year, we felt that EA had done somewhat of an injustice to Sergio Ramos by rating him lower than Jerome Boateng (not undermining his capabilities in any way). In FIFA 17, the Spanish defender was rated only 89 which was a slight error on EA’s part (in my opinion).
His performances tell a different story. The 30-year-old has not only contributed to his team defensively but has also, on numerous occasions, scored a last-minute winner or equaliser to save Madrid’s blushes. He has six league goals already (Neymar has also scored six in five more games) in just 15 appearances and has also made 1.7 successful tackles per game. We expect that Ramos’ ratings will be increased to 90 in FIFA 18.
#8 Eden Hazard (90)
After a disappointing performance in the 2015-16 season, Eden Hazard has had a rebirth under new boss Antonio Conte. Given freedom on the pitch, he has flourished and has been the driving force of Chelsea’s title-chasing team. The Belgian has scored 10 goals for his club and has assisted four times so far. However, his influence on the pitch cannot be measured just by the stats.
He was one of the highest rated wingers in FIFA 17 with a rating of 89. However, this year, in all probability, it is expected that he will receive a boost in his ratings. Hazard’s overall rating could go up to 90, which in turn, will make him one of the highest rated players in the game.
#7 Alexis Sanchez (90)
If Eden Hazard is the second-most talented star in the Premier League, then Alexis Sanchez is the first. After being shifted to a new position by Arsene Wenger at the start of the season, the Chilean seems to have broken his shackles. Playing in the free central forward role, he has led Arsenal’s attack and has scored 20 times while assisting a further 11 times so far.
While there have been lots of speculation regarding his future, Sanchez has not let it affect his performances on the field. In FIFA 17, he was given a rating of 87 (which was shocking given his talent and performances). However, we expect him to be one of the top rated players this season with a rating of at least 90.
#6 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (91)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is still, undoubtedly, the greatest out-and-out centre-forward in the world. When he arrived in England, everyone wrote him off because of his age, however, he has proved one and all wrong by scoring 26 goals across all competitions.
Considering the Swede’s goal haul at every single club he has turned out for, it is likely that he will get a sensational rating until the day he retires. While most players decay with age, Zlatan is the exact opposite and that’s why we think his rating should be increased from 90 to 91.
#5 Neymar (91)
By his own standards, Neymar has been just good this season. There is no doubt that he might one day take over the mantle from Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to be the best player in the world. However, he has failed to impress this season and has scored only 10 goals so far.
Now, this might be good for any player but from Neymar, we can hope for more, right? It is true that he has squandered goal-scoring chances, however, the Brazilian has still provided 11 assists so far.
He is only 25 years of age and he will only improve. But, for now, in FIFA 18, we expect his rating to go down. While last year he was rated at 92, we think this year’s instalment will see his rating go down to 91.
#4 Manuel Neuer (92)
Manuel Neuer has been the best goalkeeper in the world for the last few years and is well on course to become one of the all-time greats. Obviously, his inclusion is pretty straightforward.
In the ongoing season, the German custodian has kept 10 clean sheets in 22 matches and has conceded only 13 goals so far. He has been commanding on the pitch, intimidating the opposition strikers and spreading the ball for his team.
The 30-year-old has done nothing substantial though for EA to either increase or decrease his rating, and his overall rating should remain 92. However, you could expect his diving and reflexes to get a slight boost.
#3 Luis Suarez (93)
How many times have Luis Suarez’s performances been overshadowed by Lionel Messi’s? The Uruguayan striker goes about silently doing his job, which is scoring goals. Surprisingly, though, this season, he has more assists than Messi. Suarez has nine assists in the La Liga to Messi’s six across all competitions. Moreover, he has also found the back of the net 18 times in 21 league appearances.
In the previous instalment, he was rated 92, but this year expect his ratings to go up. We think he will be rated 93 in the game which will put him ahead of Neymar and ensure him a top-three spot on the highest-rated players' list.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo (94)
Cristiano Ronaldo had a stellar season last year in which he led Real Madrid to an 11th Champions League title and his national side to an unlikely Euro Cup title. This, of course, saw him take the mantle of the highest rated player in FIFA from Lionel Messi with a rating of 94.
This season as well, Ronaldo has kept up the brilliant performances (like every year since 2008). The FIFA Player of the Year and the Ballon d’Or winner has already scored 19 goals in 28 matches and has provided eight assists.
Statistically speaking, he has done nothing extraordinary, but his on-field influence has been immense. In FIFA 18, we expect him to hold on to his 94 rating.
#1 Lionel Messi (94)
Lionel Messi is the greatest player of all time and I’m not even going to put a probably before that. Yes, Ronaldo has gone shoulder to shoulder with the Argentine in recent times and hence, the equal (predicted) rating. He has been simply brilliant (as always) for Barcelona this season, single-handedly winning matches, scoring incredible free-kicks and leading the side.
Although he missed out a couple of weeks through injury, Messi has still scored 34 goals in just 33 appearances this season across all competitions and has assisted six times. His performances have been sparkling and we think he should get a boost in his rating in FIFA 18, from 93 to 94.
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