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EA Sports FIFA 17 is out and is creating waves all around the world. Here we are providing you a list of top 20 Bundesliga players from the game. As expected, much of the list is dominated by players from the German giants Bayern Munich.
14 out of the 20 players on this list are from Bayern Munich and the club with the second highest number of players is Borussia Dortmund, with a distant figure of 4. Besides these two clubs, there is only a player each from two other clubs.
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Despite Germany making efforts to improve their score for the best league in the world, they currently stand third in the list. They have a plethora of homegrown players and foreigners who've become faithful to German clubs and have impressed with their individual performances. We'll take a look at who EA Sports thinks are the best of the lot.
#20 Yann Sommer (Borussia Mönchengladbach) - 84
Yann Sommer is one of the three goalkeepers to feature in the list of Bundesliga players who have made it to top 20. The Swiss shot-stopper joined Borussia Monchengladbach after Marc-Andre ter-Stegen left for Barcelona, and the replacement paid dividends as Sommer helped the club break a number of records.
Such has been his influence on the Bundesliga side that with Sommer protecting their goal, the club has managed to better its record of consecutive games without defeat, exceeding the record of 17 games which was set in the 1970-1971 season. In his first season at Monchengladbach, the club managed a 3rd place finish, the highest that the club had achieved since 1978.
#19 Mario Götze(Borussia Dortmund) 84
Rated by many as the best German talent ever, Mario Gotze has also faced an equal number of critics in the recent past after being left out on the bench at Bayern Munich, whom he joined as the second-most expensive German. Injuries and stiff competition have been seen as reasons for his stunted growth.
Mario Gotze returned to his boyhood club Borussia Dortmund this season and pundits have projected we will see not only his old self but a lot of improvement too. Based on his qualities and recent developments, EA Sports have rated the 24-year-old at 84.
#18 Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Borussia Dortmund) - 84
Generally ‘remembered’ as the player with a long name, Sokratis has come up the ranks of Borussia Dortmund and established himself as one of the faithful at the club. Mats Hummels left the club for Bayern Munich after recognising Sokratis’s ability to take responsibility.
After switching from Werder Bremen, Sokratis had a strong first year at the club which even got him included in the Bundesliga Best XI of the 2013-14 season. Known to play in various defensive positions and as a capable leader, he also has the tendency to win the ball without making rash tackles.
#17 Douglas Costa( Bayern Munich) - 84
Douglas Costa has gathered momentum in his career after moving to Bayern Munich from Shakhtar Donetsk. The winger is widely acclaimed for his pace, dribbling and crossing abilities. Costa finished the 2015-16 season with seven goals in 43 matches and also scored the winning kick of the penalty shootout against Borussia Dortmund to win the DFB Pokal.
#16 Thiago Alcantara - 84 - Bayern Munich
Thiago Alcantara is one of the central midfielders to feature in this list, and gets picked easily due to his individual dribbling attribute that is matched by no one else in his category. A highly skilled player that he is, Thiago is also known for distributing the ball at ease after making space with his penetrating runs.
#15 Javi Martinez - 84 - Bayern Munich
Javi Martinez is another central midfielder, also from Bayern Munich to feature in this list. The Spaniard has risen to prominence since his exploits for Athletic Bilbao and finds himself as a regular in the Bavarian giants playing XI. Rated at 84, Martinez plays as a central midfielder and has decent defensive skills to what makes him a lethal force behind the threatening Bayern Munich forwards.
#14 Xabi Alonso - 84 - Bayern Munich
Xabi Alonso completes the list of star midfielders from Spain to feature in the Bayern Munich lineup and also in the list of best players in the Bundesliga. His career has been nothing short of illustrious after successful stints in England, Spain and now in Germany.
Although Xabi Alonso does not qualify in the brackets of qualities such as shooting, skill, work rate and pace, he makes up for most of it by proving pivotal in defence while also forming the backbone of launching an attack with his swift passing.
#13 Bernd Leno - 86 - Bayer Leverkusen
Bernd Leno was once the youngest player to start a Champions League match and his promising start was soon acknowledged when Bayer Leverkusen sealed a permanent transfer over his loan deal from VFB Stuttgart.
Today, Leno has exceeded his early expectations so much so that FIFA rates him as the second-best goalkeeper in the Bundesliga. He has even been called up to the senior national team duty under Joachim Loew.
#12 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 86 - Borussia Dortmund
This name comes as a no surprise as the last season’s Bundesliga Player of the Year winner is rated 86.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the second highest goal scorer then behind Robert Lewandowski, scoring a total of 35 goals in all competitions. Aubameyang is in top form this season as well and with much regard to his unstoppable pace and finishing, the fear of most Bundesliga defenders cannot be ignored while compiling this list
#11 Franck Ribery - 86 - Bayern Munich
The “ticking time bomb” of French football might be done achieving what is arguably an illustrious career for his national team, however, Franck Ribery is still not done playing for Bayern Munich where he is hungry for more success.
Aged 33 and giving stiff competition to the young prodigious wingers in the side, Ribery cannot be counted out just for the sake of his experience. The former Best UEFA Player of the Year has helped his side win a treble courtesy of his brilliant individual display that we still witness whenever he isn’t injured.
#10 David Alaba - 87 - Bayern Munich
David Alaba is a versatile player who can play in the defensive midfield, centre-back but has off-late flourished in the role of a left-back. The Austrian has developed his game in Germany coming up the ranks at Bayern Munich with a loan spell at Hoffenheim.
Living up to the promise of one of the best youngsters, Alaba has matured into a player which sees him make it to the top 10 of Bundesliga players.
#9 Thomas Müller - 87 - Bayern Munich
Besides scoring and creating goals from the box and wide areas, Thomas Muller is widely known for his positioning, work-rate and the exquisite player has also been named by Guardian as the fifth-best footballer in the world. He started the 2016/17 season by winning and scoring the German Super Cup against Borussia Dortmund.
#8 Arturo Vidal - 87 - Bayern Munich
Presently one of the best central midfielders in Europe, Arturo Vidal has become a more than god-gifted player. A box to box midfielder by nature, he has developed into a more lethal player adding aggression, crossing abilities that see him play wide also, and innate tackling prowess that gives a defensive solidarity to any team.
#7 Mats Hummels - 87 - Bayern Munich
Rated as one of the best centre-backs in the Bundesliga for a long time now, ex-Borussia Dortmund captain Mats Hummels joined rivals and youth team Bayern Munich in 2016/17 season. His high work-rate, clinical tackling, aerial ability and willingness to start an attack from the very back is surplus to any manager’s expectations.
#6 Arjen Robben - 87 - Bayern Munich
Arjen Robben is a treat to watch for his skills, speed, crossing ability and his accurate left foot long-range shots from the right wing. After glorious stints at Chelsea, Real Madrid, Robben continues to thrive in a superior role at Bayern Munich and finds himself a spot in this list.
#5 Marco Reus - 88 - Borussia Dortmund
#4 Philipp Lahm - 88 - Bayern Munich
#3 Robert Lewandowski - 90 - Bayern Munich
#2 Jerome Boateng - 90 - Bayern Munich
Not many would have thought that a player can overcome odds and rise to the summit of his career but Jerome Boateng has proved just that. A player who was exiled from Manchester City dubbed as unsuccessful has turned his career around by becoming one of the best-known defenders in his position.
A tight defence and good reading of the game other than physical ability has made him one of the most sought defenders in the world.
#1 Manuel Neuer - 92 - Bayern Munich
Manuel Neuer needs no introduction and is rated as the best player from the Bundesliga at 92. Arguably the best goalkeeper in the world, Manuel Neuer leads the pack of players from the Bundesliga and is the face of the world’s third best league. Diving, reflexes, positioning, handling; name a quality and there is rarely one that Neuer has not excelled at.
