Lionel Messi will once again be the highest-rated player on FIFA with the Barcelona and Argentina star just ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in the upcoming video game.
Messi, who was linked with a move to Manchester City in recent weeks before deciding to stay with Barcelona, is given a rating of 93 by EA Sports for the latest instalment of their massively-popular series.
That puts him just ahead of Juventus and Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo on 92 though his club appears as Piemonte Calcio in the game for licensing reasons.
Messi was also the top-rated player in the FIFA 20 edition with 94 and, like Ronaldo, he has slipped one point in the out-of-100 assessment of attributes.
Messi ended the 2019-20 season without any silverware whereas Ronaldo did win the Serie A title with Juventus.
The Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, whom many believe would have won this year’s Ballon d’Or prize had it been awarded, is one of four players rated 91.
Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne – the highest Premier League player – plus Neymar of Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak, all have a 91 rating in FIFA 21.
Liverpool’s title-winning defender Virgil van Dijk, plus his club-mates Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, have 90 ratings on the game, as does cover star Kylian Mbappe of PSG and France.
Lewandowski has effectively replaced Eden Hazard, who had a 91 rating in FIFA 20 but has slipped down the pecking order following a difficult first season with Real Madrid.
Messi leads the way in the attribute of dribbling with a score of 95, while Ronaldo is the top shooter with 93. De Bruyne has the outstanding passing mark of 93.
The game is set to be released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows on October 9.
FIFA 21 top rated
93 – Lionel Messi
92 – Cristiano Ronaldo
91 – Robert Lewandowski, Kevin De Bruyne, Neymar, Jan Oblak
90 – Virgil van Dijk, Kylian Mbappe, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Alisson Becker, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen
89 – Sergio Ramos, Manuel Neuer, Sergio Aguero, Karim Benzema, Casemiro, Thibaut Courtois
Top Premier League
91 – Kevin De Bruyne
90 – Virgil Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Alisson
89 – Sergio Aguero
88 – Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Ederson, N’Golo Kante
87 – Trent Alexander-Arnold, Hugo Lloris, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Son Heung-min, Fabinho, Bruno Fernandes, Aymeric Laporte, Andrew Robertson, Bernardo Silva
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