5 players with better passing than Lionel Messi on FIFA 17
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been engaged in a fierce battle for the title of the best player in the world for the best part of a decade now. But, 2017 might finally be the year when a clear Ballon d’Or candidate between the two will finally emerge with Ronaldo showing a slight decline this season, although Messi couldn’t help Barcelona getting knocked out in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
The Portuguese has scored ‘only’ 22 goals this season compared to Messi’s 30 and has a provided significantly lower number of assists than to his Catalan rival. But then, Ronaldo would rather be the solo artist than a part of an opera. His game was never about the passing, but always about the dribbles, the shots from long range and displays of outrageous skill which led to Real Madrid paying Manchester United a world record sum for his services.
Also Read: 5 unknown players who destroy Lionel Messi in specific attributes in FIFA 17
A graduate of the FC Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, Messi is highly proficient in the Catalan clubs’ signature possession-heavy style of football that requires excellent passing skills. This is reflected on FIFA 17, where Messi is one of the best passers in the game with passing rating of 88.
An attribute which seems fairly rated when we see the number of assists and key passes the Argentine manages to complete in addition to his goal output and it is fair to say that the Argentine is a significantly better passer of the ball.
While Messi is the best in the world at what he does, he is known better for his dribbling and goal scoring attributes than his passing which remains an underrated facet of his game.
In spite of this, there are better passers in the game than Messi and this is reflected on FIFA 17. We list five players on FIFA 17 who have better passing stats than the Argentine wizard.
#1 Luka Modric – 92 passing rating
The Croatian central midfielder has earned the nickname “Cruyff of the Balkans” after masterful displays at the heart of midfield for club and country over the years. The former Spurs midfielder’s performances always indicated that he was meant for bigger things than North London which finally happened in the summer of 2012 when Real Madrid paid around £30million pounds for his services.
The sum now looks like a bargain paid for a world class operator who can also play as an attacking or defensive midfielder and who is vital for Real Madrid when teams decide to sit back and defend in numbers against the might of Real Madrid. It is often Modric’s vision and passing ability that proves to be the difference in such games and allows the Los Blancos to exert their dominance on lesser rivals.
FIFA 17 have accurately captured the Croatian’s passing ability, giving him a rating of 92 on the game, making him the best passer on FIFA 17, a fact which is likely to please Real Madrid fans who by now are exhausted listening to the praise that Barcelona receive for their passing abilities.