For years, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi dominated the top ratings in FIFA. However, new talents are slowly emerging – which stars could become the best players in FIFA 23 and beyond?
How strong are Ronaldo and Messi: Of course, Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are still not bad players – neither in real football nor in FIFA 23. Both can still amaze viewers (and opponents) with absolute world-class performances.
However, especially in the FIFA series, players are slowly emerging that can at least surpass both top stars in the long run – if they haven’t done so already.
A major leak about FIFA 23 on Xbox already showed some of the highest ratings in FIFA 23. According to this leak, Messi is supposed to have a rating of 91, Ronaldo a rating of 90 – both with significant losses in speed, which is so important in FIFA. This already made some fans unhappy.
At the same time, other talents are increasingly rising in ratings. We take a look at some of the most exciting candidates to succeed Messi and Ronaldo.
What kind of list is this? It is already clear that besides Messi and Ronaldo, players like Benzema, Neymar, or Lewandowski will also be at the top of the rating scale – but these are long-established stars. Here we focus primarily on talents that still have a lot of potential for development.
Kylian Mbappé
This is what makes Mbappé special: Mbappé is the obvious choice, and there is no way around him. It feels like he has been around forever – but Mbappé is only 23 years old today. But that happens automatically when you become a world champion at 19.
According to the leak, Mbappé is supposed to get a rating of 91 with absolute top values, and he is also one of the cover stars of FIFA 23 – and has been for several years. Mbappé is already one of the best players in FIFA, if not the best. This is unlikely to change in the near future.
Erling Haaland
This is what makes Haaland special: Erling Haaland is even younger than Mbappé, but the 22-year-old has already been a contender for the title of “best talent in the world” for some time. He moved from Dortmund to Manchester City this summer and immediately started tearing apart opponents.
Looking at the global market values in real football, Haaland is currently directly behind Mbappé (via Transfermarkt): With 150 million, he is currently the second most valuable player in the world. At the moment, there is nothing to suggest that this already extremely strong striker will become even better in the coming years – and thus be among the best players in FIFA.
Vinicius Jr.
This is what makes Vinicius Jr. special: Fast, skillful, with endless skills and also a decent finish – Vinicius Jr. is essentially all that FIFA players wish from an offensive player.
The agile Brazilian currently plays for Real Madrid and is getting better from season to season after a somewhat shaky start. The 22-year-old has already secured a starting position on the wing and already has two goals and one assist in just three games.
Looking at the global market values, Vinicius is currently the third most valuable player behind Haaland and Mbappé. And due to his ideal skill set for offense, it is likely that Vinicius will be an important player in FIFA for years to come.
Phil Foden
This is what makes Foden special: Good dribbling, strong vision, clever passes – with these qualities, Phil Foden has secured a starting position at Manchester City, which is not so easy given the competition in midfield.
In real football, he is – you probably guessed it – number 4 in terms of market values. 90 million is currently Foden’s worth, on par with top players like Salah and Kane.
According to the Xbox leak, Foden is expected to receive a rating of 85, unless it is changed before the release. This would only mean a small upgrade compared to the 84 card from last year and still not quite enough for the top. But: At just 22 years old, Foden still has plenty of time to rise higher.
Jude Bellingham
This is what makes Bellingham special: Another Englishman, another midfielder – and just like Foden, Bellingham will at least not rise to the absolute top in terms of overall rating in FIFA 23.
However, according to the leak, the Dortmund midfielder is expected to receive an 84 card – which would mean a jump of a whole 5 points compared to FIFA 22. And last year, Bellingham also received special cards that made him one of the best midfielders in FIFA 22.
And now it should be considered: Bellingham is only 19 years old. If his development continues like this, he is likely to become one of the absolute best players in FIFA in the short or long term.
More candidates
The list of talents in world football is long. Therefore, there are many players who could also rise to the top in the long run. Some examples:
- Christopher Nkunku had an extremely strong Bundesliga season and is expected to achieve quite good ratings in FIFA 23. Especially after the departures of Lewandowski and Haaland, he could fill an offensive gap.
- Pedri from FC Barcelona is also highly regarded. The 19-year-old is considered a real midfield jewel.
- Alphonso Davies from FC Bayern is already one of the best left-backs in the world at just 21 years old. His values also fit perfectly with FIFA and are expected to continue to rise in the coming years.
- Dusan Vlahovic from Serie A scored everything last year, now moved to Juventus Turin. His market value is 85 million, and he has already scored 4 goals in 4 games this new season.
- Jamal Musiala is one of Germany’s absolute top talents and is establishing himself more and more at FC Bayern. At just 19 years old, this offensive player is also likely to move towards the top in the coming years.
Will any of these talents end up becoming calibers like Messi and Ronaldo, who will dominate football (and FIFA) for years? That remains to be seen. Who are your favorites in world football? Let us know in the comments!
Do you want to know more about FIFA 23? Here you can find our complete overview of the FIFA 23 release.
