EAFC 25 set to hand Lionel Messi downgraded ratings as leaks emerge - Reports

According to leaks on social media, football gaming giant EAFC 25 looks set to hand Lionel Messi downgraded ratings. A report from LeanDesign on social media platform X (via FutPoliceLeaks on X) revealed that the legendary Argentine will be downgraded to an overall rating of 88.

Messi is one of the best players in the history of the sport. Since EAFC's earlier years, the legendary forward has often been handed an overall rating in the 90s.

After he burst onto the scene at Barcelona, FIFA 06 handed the winger an overall rating of 78 (via RadioTimes). That quickly catapulted to 90 by the 2009 edition of the game, as it became clear that the Argentine playmaker was a truly generational player.

He peaked at an overall rating of 94 in FIFA 12 and fluctuated between 94 and 93 for nine years (FIFA 21). FIFA 22 saw him drop to 92, as he made a switch from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain, where he didn't rack up massive goalscoring numbers.

In FIFA 23, he dropped another point, and after the gaming giant cut ties with FIFA and became EAFC in 2024, he lost yet another point. For the first time since 2011, Lionel Messi was rated as low as 90 on the football simulation.

Now, the legendary playmaker plies his trade in the USA with Inter MIami, who he led to win their first trophy: the Leagues Cup in 2023. He has also flourished on the international scene, winning the Copa America with Argentina earlier this summer.

However, the 37-year-old will reportedly drop out of the 90s in the upcoming EAFC 25 game. The leak on social media says that his overall rating will be 88, which he hasn't had since the earlier years of his career.

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Lionel Messi backed to lead Argentina to World Cup glory in 2026

Lionel Messi is enjoying his glorious era in international football, having captained Argentina to four trophies in three years. They have won the Copa America twice in a row, lifted the World Cup in 2022 and the Finalissima.

The legendary magician might be in his final years, aged 37, but he has been backed to lead them to glory once more by Emiliano Martinez. The Argentina goalkeeper said (via Daily Mail):

"I think he will go year after year and see how he feels. I still think he has got the power to go to the World Cup."

With Lionel Messi now playing for Miami, which is set to be his last club, as he revealed, time will tell if he continues long enough to play another World Cup.