Every year, the release of EA FC’s highest-rated players sparks huge debate as football fans from around the globe argue about who should have improved, and who deserved to have their ratings slashed. One of the most striking things about EA FC 25 ratings, though, is how miserably low the world’s best are now ranked if we compare to the past.
When the 50 best players in FC 25 appeared online in late August, it was stressed that the team behind gaming’s undisputed king of football had upgraded or downgraded players based on their performances last season.
However, if you look at some of the sport’s most recognizable names, that becomes a little harder to believe. Worse still, if you compare today’s top stars to players of yesteryear, it becomes very evident how underrated modern-day footballers are.
EA FC 25 ratings vs previous FIFA games
Mbappé vs Suarez
Let’s take Kylian Mbappé for example. In his final year at Paris Saint-Germain, the Frenchman scored 44 goals in all competitions, a career-best for the striker. Despite that – and a move to a Champions League winning Real Madrid side – Mbappé remained at a 91 rating for the fourth consecutive year.
Comparisons of a similar caliber are not difficult to find, either. Take Luis Suarez, who was awarded a 92 rating in FIFA 18 following his 37 goals that season, and was marked at 91 in FIFA 19 after a return of 31 goals. He hit the back of the net 13 times less than Mbappé managed last year and still had a stronger card.
Bellingham vs Modric
FC 25 cover star Jude Bellingham is another player who EA’s ratings team has potentially undervalued. The Englishman is firmly in the discussion to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or, awarded to the world’s best player, but he isn’t even the highest-rated center midfielder in the game. Manchester City’s Rodri takes that honor with a 91 rating, with Real Madrid’s star man a point behind that.
If the ratings are based on last season’s performance, the numbers don’t add up. Bellingham’s 24 goals far exceeded his previous best, which was 14 while playing for Borussia Dortmund in 2023. Compare that to his Galacticos teammate Luka Modric, who was 91 rated in FIFA 19. How many goals did he score that year? Just two. In fact, if you combined Modric’s goal returns from the last five seasons, it still doesn’t match what Bellingham achieved last season.
A trend emerging
The eye test
There are more instances like this everywhere you look in the ratings. Manchester City’s Reuben Dias’ rating has dropped by one point to 88, even though he played four more times in Citizen’s title-winning squad than he did the year before. Virgil Van Dijk’s Liverpool conceded eight fewer goals last season than they did the one preceding it, yet he saw no ratings improvement.
My childhood is littered with memories of the world’s best players being treated like proper superstars in the game. Zinedine Zidane’s 96 rating in FIFA 04, Thierry Henry’s 97 in 2005, and sensation Ronaldinho’s 95 awarded in FIFA 06. These players were the best in the world, and EA Sports was determined to show it.
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At first, there is the temptation to think I’m looking back with rose-tinted glasses, but when I was growing up, it didn’t feel like FIFA ratings were there to be critiqued and argued. Instead, they were used to celebrate the best footballers in the world and to create fun moments in the game.
Running the numbers
So, let’s look at the numbers. Between FIFA 2005 and EA FC 25 there is a substantial difference in how EA is rating players now versus then. The graph below underlines the point that they are becoming harsher markers.
There is a serious gulf between the two in 93+ rated players, for instance, but more noticeably the 88-90 range is jam-packed this year.
The underlying numbers here are striking, too.
EA FC has an average OVR rating in the top 50 of 88.61, lower than FIFA 2005’s 90, 20 years on. The median, which is more appreciative of the outliers like Henry being a 97, shows up as 88 in EA FC 25 versus the older game. In other words, generally speaking, every best player in the world is now at least one rating lower than they would be years ago.
In percentage terms, 56.9% of the top 50 were above 88 in 2005 and now that is just 44.9% – markedly lower.
Verdict
In 2024, maybe it’s easier to keep players close together in ratings, as seen by the top 43 in the world are separated by just three points. With social media ready to jump on any controversy, keeping everyone in a closely-rated pack certainly makes it harder for people to find flaws in every decision you make.
In the end, though, it winds up making the greats of the game feel less special. Nobody stands out from the crowd, creating a big group of talented footballers who all feel good, but are not spectacular. Football is built on special players delivering iconic moments, and it’s a shame that the developers has taken the incredibly talented class of 2024 and turned them into the worst world stars ever.