What ratings will the players get in FIFA 20? In just over a month, this question will be answered. In the meantime, we will take a look at some questionable values from last season.
Some values caused confusion: Sometimes you get the impression that EA Sports rolls the player values. Well, that’s a bit drastic to say. Nevertheless: At the release of FIFA 19, there were quite a few surprises with the ratings – and also a player or two who had values that really didn’t match their real-life counterparts.
We took a look at the community on Reddit and Futhead. Which players were rated unfairly according to fan opinion – and how does their real performance compare? In total, nine players were identified, with fans largely agreeing on the following conclusion: Something is definitely off here.
Niklas Süle
What did not match with Süle’s values: Niklas Süle from FC Bayern Munich entered the FIFA 19 season with an overall rating of 84. Many fans felt that it could have been higher – and it likely will be in the upcoming FIFA 20, as the center-back proved he could play at an absolute top level. Süle did not need to hide behind the competition of Hummels and Boateng.
What particularly irritated many fans was Süle’s speed. Here, the defender received just a 67, which is not reflective of the real Süle, who showed he was quite fast. The pace is made up of sprint speed (for Süle, 79) and acceleration (52). It’s this latter value that drags Süle down and definitely deserves an upgrade. How strong will Süle be in FIFA 20?
Daniel Sturridge
What did not match with Sturridge’s values: There was a time when Daniel Sturridge was a feared striker for FC Liverpool in top form. With his speed, he outran defense line after defense line – as evidenced by his Flashback card. But then several injuries took him out of the game.
In the aftermath, Sturridge gradually moved into the background. He did not regain his best form, which makes the overall rating he received over the years understandable. However, even fans complained that the speed was set far too low.
The once extremely fast player may have slowed down a bit – but not so much that he deserves an average rating of only 75.
Arjen Robben
What did not match with Robben’s values: You already suspect it: In the case of Arjen Robben, the player’s speed caused an uproar among FIFA fans. Quite literally: When it became known that the beloved Robben, known for his speed on the right side, should only have a rating of 79, the FIFA community was up in arms.
It seems that EA generally gives a pace downgrade to players nearing or exceeding 30 years of age. However, in Robben’s case, this caused particularly strong dissatisfaction among fans. After all, his pace dribbling was legendary – as evidenced by his End-of-an-Era card at the end of the season.
Daniel James
What did not match with James’s values: That not only older players are neglected in terms of speed is shown by the example of Daniel James. Playing in a less relevant league apparently does not help in this regard either: The young James played for Swansea in the Championship last season and made a name for himself. This summer, he transferred to Manchester United.
James has a base rating of 59, which is very low, of course. However, only last season, which is not relevant for FIFA 19, can be considered as a breakthrough for James, who should have a significantly better rating in FIFA 20. So there is no problem here – but regarding the pace, there already is: James proved that speed is his great strength.
According to fan opinion, it should be at least 90, if not higher. Here, players hope that EA takes a closer look next time. Furthermore, James is listed as right-footed according to Transfermarkt – and not left-footed as in FIFA 19.
Raphaël Varane
What did not match with Varane’s values: The center-back of Real Madrid is one of the best center-backs in the world. Before FIFA 19, he won the Champions League and the World Cup with Real Madrid. Among some fans, he even holds the status of the best central defender overall, though that is of course debatable. And it is precisely this debate that led to question marks for some fans when they saw Varane’s overall rating at the release of FIFA 19.
It showed a rating of 86. While that’s a good value – it’s not absolutely world-class. For comparison: Umtiti from Barcelona or Koulibaly from Napoli were rated higher than Varane. The Brazilian Naldo also had a rating of 86. Here, many fans expected a higher overall rating – or a lower one for other center-backs. Nevertheless, Varane was one of the favorite players in FIFA 19:
Kalidou Koulibaly
What did not match with Koulibaly’s values: Speaking of Koulibaly: The SSC Napoli defender was extremely strong in FIFA 19. In winter, he even received an upgrade to 88 and several special cards. However, fans were not really happy with his base card.
The reason: Koulibaly’s incredibly weak passing attributes. He had shown in Serie A that he was technically quite capable. However, his FIFA passing value averages only 46. Only in short passing does Koulibaly have a value of 66, which can be considered okay – all other values were extremely low and should be raised in FIFA 20.
But at least: Koulibaly’s height is now correctly listed in the game. In past iterations of the series, he was listed at 195 centimeters, which was corrected to 187 centimeters in FIFA 19.
Raheem Sterling
What did not match with Sterling’s values: Raheem Sterling from Manchester City entered the season with an overall rating of 85, which was considered justified. However, confusion arose over Sterling’s shooting stats: After the winter upgrade of FIFA 18, Sterling had a 74, but in FIFA 19 again only a 73. Meanwhile, Sterling had just scored 23 goals and provided 17 assists in 46 games for City in the previous season, which is extremely high for a winger. So why the downgrade?
This was corrected by FIFA 19 with the winter upgrade of Sterling’s card. Now the winger had a 77 – which fans still considered too low. They would have preferred to see an 80, as Sterling had again proven his goal-scoring ability.
At the end of the last season, Sterling had scored a total of 25 goals in 51 games. Will he finally break the 80 mark in FIFA 20? Or will EA just take another point away? In overall rating, Sterling will definitely improve:
Alexis Sanchez
What did not match with Sanchez’s values: Alexis Sanchez and Manchester United – it simply does not seem to fit together. The Chilean played at an extremely high level at FC Arsenal, but he never reached that at the “Red Devils” again. Thus, the downgrade to a rating of 87 in FIFA 19 was understandable – fans agreed. However, the prevailing opinion is that he should have fallen further, as 87 is still quite high.
The only point where Sanchez deserved a good value was pace. Because the forward is at least fast in real football. However, he received a pace downgrade to 82. He definitely did not deserve that – even if he likely will continue to drop in rating in FIFA 20.
Martin Ödegaard
What did not match with Ödegaard’s values: Wonderkid, century talent, future world footballer – a few years ago, Ödegaard was considered the promise of the future in real football. Real Madrid signed the Norwegian in his youth, and he went on loan to SC Heerenveen, Vitesse Arnhem, and this season to Real Sociedad.
Ödegaard has yet to achieve an absolute breakthrough. This is also reflected in his FIFA card, with a rating of 74. The 5-star skills stand out – but the rest is rather modest. Due to the last season, Ödegaard should get an upgrade in FIFA 20, but which value caused annoyance in FIFA 19?
The physicality. Ödegaard brings extremely weak physical values, with just 64 stamina. Thus, he hardly lasts two halves in FIFA – and he does so in real life on a regular basis. Both jumping, strength, and aggression were below average in FIFA 19 – EA should definitely improve this in FIFA 20.
Special Cards
This is the problem with special cards: So far, we’ve only looked at the standard cards of players as they were at the release of FIFA 19. However, looking at the many different special cards, it can sometimes get very unrealistic. For example, Kanté’s TOTY card has an overall rating of 96 – which is fine given the promo. However, the 89 shooting value is crazy – for his finishing, the midfielder is actually not known.
Similarly, the 99 TOTY card of Luka Modric. The card has unbeatable values – and in many cases justified. However, the 90 physicality raises questions: Luka Modric does not suddenly become a huge defensive force due to good performances.
And these are still performance-based cards – promos such as Carnival, Ultimate Scream, or FUT Birthday tend to leave realism aside to create exciting cards.
Will there be unusual values again in FIFA 20? Quite possible. But the more interesting question is about the gameplay – and pro Cihan has already given a fascinating insight into FIFA 20 during Gamescom:
