FIFA 21 is getting closer. Time to take a look into the future: Which Bundesliga players could receive an upgrade?
Every year, the FIFA series starts the season with an updated squad. Players who impressed and improved in the past season get an upgrade to their ratings – of course, this applies to the Bundesliga as well. Here are five players who deserve a boost in their ratings.
Robert Lewandowski
Why Lewandowski deserves an upgrade: When it comes to which players deserve stronger cards, Lewandowski regularly comes up. No wonder: Fans were quite surprised that the top striker of FC Bayern received a rating of only 89 in FIFA 20 – after all, he had a 90 in FIFA 19.
Last season, Lewandowski scored goals in abundance, with 34 goals in 31 Bundesliga matches. Additionally, he scored 11 goals in six Champions League matches so far. In Ultimate Team, Lewandowski also racked up special cards that underscored these performances. It’s clear: In FIFA 21, Lewandowski must start the season with at least a rating of 90 – if not even higher.
Marcel Sabitzer
Why Sabitzer deserves an upgrade: Marcel Sabitzer played a significant role as a playmaker and later as captain of RB Leipzig, helping the club move to 3rd place in the Bundesliga table.
The Austrian impressed with his presence in midfield, scoring nine goals and providing eight assists. In FIFA 20, he started with a rating of 81, and he collected special cards such as Ultimate Scream (85) and TOTSSF (92). It’s likely that Sabitzer will get a strong upgrade and will start FIFA 21 with a rating around 84/85.
Moussa Diaby
Why Diaby deserves an upgrade: The 21-year-old transferred from Paris to Leverkusen last summer and initially struggled to find his footing. Often, he sat on the bench or only played in short bursts. However, he took on a larger role starting from winter – and made a significant leap.
The attacker established himself at Bayer, impressing especially with incredible speed and strong dribbling. In the league, he scored five times and assisted five more. In the DFB-Pokal, he helped with his goals against Union Berlin and Saarbrücken to reach the final. His starting value of 74 is long overdue for an upgrade, and the winter upgrade of 77 is heading in the right direction. His 95-rated Summer Heat card is of course too strong – but it’s possible that he will receive a card in the 80s range.
Leon Goretzka
Why Goretzka deserves an upgrade: It’s anything but easy to assert oneself in the competitive midfield of FC Bayern Munich. However, it seems Leon Goretzka has finally made it.
At the beginning of the season, Goretzka was hampered by injuries and initially found himself on the bench. But in the second half of the season, he got going: Since the turn of the year, Goretzka regularly started in the lineup, even began to score goals (6 goals in the second half of the season, plus 8 assists). Especially after the corona break, he caught attention – Goretzka had used it to gain physical strength.
Now, Goretzka is the solid anchor in Bayern’s midfield. This should also be reflected in FIFA 21: In FIFA 20, he started with an 84 rating. It’s very likely that Goretzka will gain some points.
Matthias Ginter
Why Ginter deserves an upgrade: Matthias Ginter has had an interesting career so far. He first drew attention at SC Freiburg, became a national player, was part of the World Cup winning team (albeit without playing) and won the Olympic silver medal in 2016. In 2014, he moved from Freiburg to Dortmund, but never fully established himself there and moved to Gladbach in 2017. There, he has become indispensable.
At Borussia, who played a strong season, he noticeably stabilized the defense in the past season. In Kicker’s ranking of the top players of this season, he is the highest-rated center-back on average, along with Mats Hummels. His 81 card from FIFA 20 will definitely be stronger, and a value of 83 or 84 is conceivable.
Bonus: Davies and Haaland
What about Davies and Haaland? Of course, we haven’t forgotten Alphonso Davies from FC Bayern and Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund. Both talents performed extremely well this season and are likely to receive strong upgrades. Why they deserve it, you’ll find out in our list of talents that need to be much stronger in FIFA 21.
