Top rated player of each FIFA edition

FIFA 17 is the 24th edition and EA’s latest version of the game, with FIFA 18 scheduled to release sometime in September. While it’s been incredibly empathetic to see the evolution of our favourite game over the years, we take a recap of the highest rated players in each FIFA, ever since player ratings were inducted (since FIFA 05).

Veteran French striker Thierry Henry topped the list in FIFA 05 with a rating of 97. Better yet, Henry also had the potential of reaching a maximum rating of 99. With 228 goals in 377 appearances for Arsenal, Henry certainly deserved his place among FIFA’s elite. However, his place as FIFA’s best player was short-lived, with his rating dropping to 92 just 12 months later.

A player who is best remembered by football fans for his emphatic display against the Three Lions at the 2002 World Cup, Ronaldinho features as the highest rated player in FIFA 06 with an overall rating of 95. His dominant display of dribbling even earned him a place in the franchise’s hall of fame. The Brazilian football maestro makes it to the list yet again in FIFA 08 with an overall rating of 91 and with a growth till 93.

The current captain of Manchester United and the England national team, Wayne Rooney secures the top spot in FIFA 07 with an overall rating of 91.

From FIFA 10 till FIFA 16, the wonder kid of football, Lionel Messi dominates the list with a career-best rating of 94 and a growth till 97 in FIFA 13. Messi however, has never quite reached the highest ratings achieved by the likes of Ronaldo de Lima, Luis Figo, and Thierry Henry, probably because EA Sports decided to nerf their ratings somewhat in recent years.

Portuguese speedster Cristiano Ronaldo also features twice on the list. After having cracked the list first time in FIFA 09 with a rating of 91, Ronaldo again made it as the top-rated player in FIFA 17, after a wait of eight years. His rating of 94 in FIFA 17 is his best till date. Now with Ronaldo entering the later stages of his career, it can only be so long before the incredible winger begins to decline, but he will always be remembered as one of the greatest footballers of all time.

Here is a list of the top players in each FIFA (since FIFA 05).

FIFA version	Player Name	Player Ratings
FIFA 05	Thierry Henry	97
FIFA 06	Ronaldinho	95
FIFA 07	Wayne Rooney	91
FIFA 08	Ronaldinho	93
FIFA 09	Cristiano Ronaldo	91
FIFA 10	Lionel Messi	90
FIFA 11	Lionel Messi	90
FIFA 12	Lionel Messi	94
FIFA 13	Lionel Messi	94
FIFA 14	Lionel Messi	94
FIFA 15	Lionel Messi	93
FIFA 16	Lionel Messi	94
FIFA 17	Cristiano Ronaldo	94