FC 25 ratings season is one of my favorite times of the year, I can’t lie. Analyzing who’s got upgrades and downgrades, earmarking potential starter squad players, and seeing how well new young players have been rated – I love it. However, today’s reveal of the best FC 25 players comes with a tinge of sadness, because a 16-year streak has just come to an end for the legendary Lionel Messi.
There’s some truly exciting stuff in today’s ratings reveal. While a lot of player ratings have been leaked already, we now officially know that there’s a four-way tie for the top-rated player in FC 25 between Erling Haaland, Rodri, Aitana Bonmati, and Kylian Mbappe. There are also some amazing upgrades in the new edition of the sports game for the likes of Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Vini Jr., and Martin Odegaard. However, there is reason to shed a tear, because not only has Messi been downgraded, his new rating sees the end of a remarkable run.
Since FIFA 09, Messi has been rated 90 or higher in each consecutive FIFA or EA FC game. That game was released almost 16 years ago, back in 2008. The Argentine maestro has been topping the ratings charts and been a highly-desirable card for years. But in FC 25, Lionel Messi will have an overall rating of 88, a downgrade from the 90 rating he had last year.
Messi isn’t even the highest-rated Argentine player in the game, with Inter’s Lautaro Martinez shooting up the ratings charts and landing himself an overall of 89 for FC 25.
A similar, heart-sinking moment occurred last year in FC 24 when fellow GOAT-contender Cristiano Ronaldo dropped down to an 86 rating, his lowest in 16 years. However, unlike Messi, Ronaldo didn’t hold a rating of 90 or more for that entire duration.
While the end of Messi’s streak is disappointing, it was of course inevitable and not surprising given he turned 37 this year. Plus, on the brighter side, the Inter Miami star’s stats will still make him an incredibly desirable and powerful card in Ultimate Team. While as a right winger his 79 pace is probably a little on the slow side, one of his alternate positions is as a centre-attacking midfielder (CAM), where he will no doubt be devastating with 85 shooting, 87 passing, 92 dribbling, and the Technical PlayStyle+ trait.
You can check out all the ratings official revealed so far right here.
With the FC 25 release date just around the corner now, expect lots more ratings announcements over the coming days. We’ve already seen some ratings for past superstars, and you can check those out in our guides about the FC 25 Heroes and FC 25 Icons.
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