EA Sports have released a list of their top 50 players as excitement builds ahead of the launch of FIFA 16 this month, but just two English players and 17 Premier League stars have made the cut.
There are a number of new features on this year’s edition, including no-touch dribbling and an improved way to slide tackle, but for now the focus is on player ratings and who ranks where in the top 50.
Unsurprisingly, it is Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo who lead the way, with Luis Suarez breaking into the top three, up four from his FIFA 15 ranking.
Lionel Messi (right) and Cristiano Ronaldo (left) are first and second respectively in the FIFA 16 rankings
Messi’s 2016 stats show him with a 95/100 dribbling ability, with 92 pace and an impressive 88 for shooting.
FIFA 16 is expected to be the best yet – pictured is Ronaldo (second left) celebrating a goal for Real Madrid.
Despite not being in the top 50 players, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson will be on the front of FIFA 16
Only two Premier League players make the top 10 in Eden Hazard (6th) and David Silva (10th), with just 17 English-based players in the whole of the top 50.
John Terry – at 44 – and Wayne Rooney – in at 36 – are England’s only representatives, but that is still one better than last season when Rooney was the only one present.
In last year’s version, the Premier League had 16 players in the top 50, marking 2016’s number a slender improvement on last time out.
There are some big movers, and not all positive. Gareth Bale, despite his impressive performances for Wales this week, has struggled at times for Real Madrid, seeing his FIFA ranking slip from 14th to 23rd this year.
Gareth Bale has been on fire for Wales, but has struggled at times for Real Madrid, and drops from 14th to 23rd
If you choose to play at the Emirates, your Arsenal side on FIFA 16 could include 18th-ranked Mesut Ozil
+15Ronaldo, second in the rankings, is listed with three attributes over 90 – pace, shooting and dribbling
Man City new boy Kevin De Bruyne (L) enters the top 50, while Man Utd old boy Robin van Persie (R) drops outRobin van Persie and Radamel Falcao were in the upper echelons of the ranking system last year in 11th and 12th respectively, but after a season of struggle both have completely dropped out of the top 50.
Manchester United fans may think they have a bargain buy in Bastian Schweinsteiger for £14million, but his age has counted against him in this year’s FIFA, seeing the 30-year-old drop 30 places from eight to 38.
There are three changes to the world’s top 10, as David Silva, Thiago Silva and Neymar all move up from their 2015 positions. Andres Iniesta, Schweinsteiger and Franck Ribery are the three men to make way, as they enter the twilight zones of their playing career.
Scroll down for the full FIFA 16 top 50 players list…
Messi wheels away in celebration after scoring a goal in the new FIFA 16 game, out on September 22
Bastian Schweinsteiger (left) has just signed for Man United, but his FIFA ranking has dropped 30 places
Female footballers are a notable inclusion in the newest version of FIFA, and there is improved slide-tackling
The new graphics on FIFA 16 are detailed with a shot of Sergio Aguero – ranked 12th – taking a shot at goal
Most entrants in the FIFA 16 top 50 play for a top European club – Barcelona and Bayern Munich players, for example, make up five of the top 10. But one non-European entry is that of Carlos Tevez, currently plying his trade in Argentina for Boca Juniors.
The performances earning him the ranking of 27 did come at Juventus though, with the Argentina striker only moving to his boyhood club in June of this year.
Manchester City new-boy Kevin De Bruyne is one of the biggest risers in this year’s edition, making his debut in the top 50.
He comes straight in at 28 following his big-money move to the blue half of Manchester, and at the age of 24 is only expected to rise as the years go by.
