FIFA 18: FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi likely to be rated higher than Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo

FIFA 18 promises big things when it releases late next month but one of the burning questions that fans have been asking has been related to player ratings. In particular, ratings of two of the best players in the world.

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo was made the cover star for FIFA 18 last month following the release of the game's unveiling and it led many to contemplate whether Ronaldo would be the best player in the game, owing to his face on the cover. Being on the cover does not necessarily mean that you will be the highest rated however, as we have seen in the past.

While most websites are confirming that Ronaldo will be highest rated, one particular poll tells us otherwise. FUThead.com is one of the most popular fan websites and constantly predicts ratings of players in the upcoming FIFA franchise. This time is no different. The website offers a world view of the best FIFA talent and encourages FIFA fans to engage in the conversation by predicting their own ratings for actual players in the game. The website uses data from WhoScored.com and utilises seasonal and historical trends to give you the final predicted rating for ultimate team.

As per this data, a surprising outcome has been reached. It appears that FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi could actually overtake Ronaldo this time around as per polling data. A previous rating of 93 from the 2016 season has seemingly been trumped by his 2017 season and a jump of one point is expected. This would mean that Messi would rise to 94 in the ratings and match Cristiano Ronaldo atop the charts. His +1 rise would mean that the improvement would technically put him above the Portuguese star and into top spot.

FUThead gets its numbers from WhoScored.com and the page has observed Messi's performance right through the latest season and noted that the Barca star has been the most consistent performer in domestic competition. In the Spanish League, Messi has a rating of 8.47 which is the highest of any player. While his numbers in the Champions League are slightly lower, the overall performance is enough to see the little magician move upwards in the ratings. The final combined data puts Messi ahead of Ronaldo albeit by the slightest of margins.

While these numbers are from final, they give some interesting insight into what might be in store for us when the game releases next month. With Messi and Ronaldo being the main players in the game, fans have often been in each others' faces arguing over who should take the number one position on the FIFA ratings board. It is clear that there is hardly anything to separate these top players, but this report from FUThead could go a long way in establishing the Argentine as the best player in the world.