One of the biggest content creators in the EA-FC universe has expressed his opinion on the new icons in EA Sports FC 25. He has a problem with the ratings. Especially one of the formerly best wingers he finds too weak rated.
Who is this expert? The expert is Simon Schildgen, who is probably better known to most as “GamerBrother”. The content creator has been producing new videos about EA FC, previously FIFA, weekly for over 10 years. He also frequently comments on the latest topics in the respective parts of the series.
In one of his videos on his stream highlight channel, he has commented on the new ratings in FC 25. He considers the rating of some icons to be questionable.
Everything important about the new ratings can be found on my MeinMMO: EA FC 25 Ratings: Release, Leaks and Predictions at a Glance
GamerBrother finds an 88 for Bale as an icon too weak
GamerBrother recognizes a negligence from EA regarding the ratings of icons in recent years. For him, it makes no sense, for example, that some of the more modern icons receive relatively low ratings compared to other older legends.
As the latest example, he takes the rating of the new card of Gareth Bale, who is confirmed as one of 8 new icons in FC 25. After his retirement in 2022 and his last card in Ultimate Team from FIFA 23, Bale is now returning. EA has assigned his card a rating of 88.
In the following box, we have introduced Gareth Bale in more detail for you. If you want to learn more about him, just click the box:
How good was Gareth Bale really?
Gareth Bale was one of the most sought-after wingers in the world between 2010 and 2018. He combined speed, strong physique, and very good shooting and passing skills.
After a strong season with Tottenham Hotspur at the beginning of the 2010s, Real Madrid signed the Welsh winger. There, he formed one of the most feared attacking trios in football history with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
Due to many injuries, he never managed to play all matches in a season. However, especially in big games, the Briton could be relied upon. Bale made a mark on several finals by decisively influencing the matches with often spectacular goals.
He won the Champions League five times alone with Real Madrid, the best European competition. Since Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominated the individual titles for more than a decade, he was denied a Ballon d’Or award.
In the last years of his career, he fell out of favor at Real Madrid under coach Ancelotti and initially hardly got to play and eventually never played again. Bale ended his career in the USA.
Why is Bale too weak as an icon? To address Bale’s low rating, GamerBrother compares the card of the Brazilian legend Ronaldo, who is ranked 2nd among the best icons with a rating of 94. While he certainly justified that rating at the height of his powers, he also had many not-so-good years due to serious injuries.
The same would apply to Bale, who was one of the best wingers at his best. However, it seems that EA oriented itself more towards his poorer seasons with injury-related breaks.
He considers Bale’s rating to be “random” and would give him at least a 90 rating for his entire career.
You can watch the statement with even more examples and explanations here again in its entirety:
Even more so for Bayern legend Franck Ribéry, who showed strong performances on a national and international level for over a decade. The Frenchman also received only an 88 as a new icon in FC 24. GamerBrother does not quite understand what standards exist for the ratings of the icons.
By the way, among the top 50 players in FC 25, we discovered some ratings that raise eyebrows:
Leaks show the 50 best players in FC 25: 5 ratings make no sense
Comparing the ratings of all gold cards to Bale’s active time in FIFA, an 88 rating seems appropriate at first glance. Only in FIFA 17 and 18 did he have a rating of 90 or 89, respectively, above the 88 points of his current icon card. But not only regarding Bale’s card are there controversial opinions: FC 25: A player counted 8 years among the best cards in Ultimate Team, now returning – fans consider the rating of the super dribbler a joke
