In FC 24, the 15th anniversary of the Ultimate Team mode is currently being celebrated. However, when looking at the real performances of some gold cards, one will notice that EA was quite generous with the ratings in FC 24. We take a look at players who have not been able to justify their ratings so far.
What is it about? The overall ratings and how they come about are a big topic especially before the start and at the beginning of a new FIFA/Ea FC installment. Controversies often arise that some players are considered too weak or too strong.
After half a year of EA FC 24 and after more than half of the season has been played, one can say that some stars in the game are performing better than on the real football pitch. In some cases, this was already evident before the season started.
We present to you 4 players where one may question why they even have such a good rating.
4 Players Whose Performance and Rating Do Not Match
What criteria did we look at? We examined the real statistics of players from the previous season of 22/23 and the current season 23/24 to identify any trends. We relied on the assessments and analyses from Sofascore. These include data from almost all players in most leagues and competitions, providing a good overview.
We limited our selection to cards that have received at least an 84 rating. Exceptions were players who could not participate in games due to injuries and suspensions.
Péter Gulácsi (84) – RB Leipzig
The Hungarian was for years the undisputed number 1 in Leipzig’s goal and always a reliable support. He was among the top 3 goalkeepers in the Bundesliga for a long time. Tragically, Gulácsi tore his cruciate ligament in October 2022 and only made his comeback between the posts in 2024.
However, since his injury, things have been anything but smooth for the goalkeeper. A statistic clearly demonstrates this. According to Sofascore, he has a negative score in the prevented goals metric (-0.56), meaning he concedes even more goals than he should save. In comparison: Oliver Baumann (TSG Hoffenheim), the top-rated goalkeeper in the Bundesliga and a strong candidate for a spot in the Team of the Season, has an impressive score of 5.38 in this area.
As part of a reveal, we made an initial Team of the Season prediction for the Bundesliga. Here you can read the article.
Even before Gulácsi’s cruciate ligament tear, a negative trend was emerging in the Bundesliga. Before his injury, he managed only 0.56 prevented goals per game. If Gulácsi does not improve here, his next card in the next Ultimate Team could see a reduction of at least 2 or 3 rating points.
Marcos Acuña (85) – FC Sevilla
The left-back is having a forgettable season with his team. The perennial Europa League winners are only in 16th place in their domestic league and need to be careful not to drop further. They also exited the Champions League without a single win. This must have disappointed many owners of Acuña’s Road-To-The-Knockouts card.
The downturn in form is also linked to the weak performances of the usually reliable left-back.
The Argentine has only had one goal contribution in 14 games in La Liga this season. Too little for a full-back in what is supposed to be a top team. With him in the lineup, FC Sevilla always conceded at least one goal. In the past, it was his indiscipline that prevented him from achieving even better performances (3 red cards in 22/23), but this season he has been repeatedly set back by several injuries.
Acuña and his teammates could see significant downgrades in FC 25. Since he has an overall rating of 85, the highest among all FC Sevilla players, his correction downwards could be the most severe.
Ciro Immobile (85) – Lazio Rome (Latium in FC 24)
In recent years, the rating of the Italian striker has consistently declined. After having a rating of 87 in FIFA 22, it was corrected downwards by one point in the next two installments. In FC 24, Immobile’s rating is only 85, and this season is clearly showing that even this rating might be too high.
Immobile was unable to perform up to the strong performances of previous years in the 22/23 season, where he scored at least 20 goals each season. He only achieved 12 goals and 5 assists. It seems likely that the Italian will fall below this negative value this season. In 25 games so far, Immobile has managed only 6 goals and 1 assist.
The most significant issue: Immobile falls below his expected goals value, as according to statistics (8.37), he should have already scored at least two more goals. In comparison, top striker Lautaro Martínez from Inter exceeds his expected goals by more than 8 goals (23 goals with 14.93 expected).
The aging goal scorer may have been lucky to even receive an 85 card in FC 24. His numbers suggest that this might be the last strong card for Immobile.
He might face the same fate that has befallen other players in FC 24: 5 old favorites that are too poor for your team this year
Marco Verratti (86) – Al-Arabi/Qatar (only available at Paris Saint-Germain in FC 24)
For a long time, Verratti was considered one of the most important pillars at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and in the Italian national team. In September 2023, he switched to Al-Arabi in Qatar after disagreements with his new coach at PSG and can no longer measure himself against the best players.
However, even before his transfer, Verratti played his worst season since player ratings were introduced (15/16) with an average score of 7.02 on Sofascore. In his last two appearances for the national team (March 2023), Verratti could not really convince and has not been called up since his last appearance over a year ago.
In FC 24, you can still buy Verratti as a PSG player. His card dates back to the beginning of the season. As of now, he cannot be obtained from packs anymore, as the Qatari league is not present in the game. Given his commitment to Al-Arabi, the 86 version is likely to be Verratti’s last strong card.
We have now reached the end of our list. In conclusion, we are interested in your opinion. Are you satisfied with our small selection? Are there players you think EA has overestimated and who do not deserve their rating? Please let us know in the comments.
Finally, we have a recommendation for you: I tested the most popular special card in Ultimate Team and now know why it is so widely played
