5 relatively unknown players who were rated higher than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
EA Sports FIFA is the go-to game for football enthusiasts wanting to play with, or as their favourite superstars on a virtual platform. The brand is only growing stronger, with FIFA 17 becoming EA’s highest selling edition of the game ever.
The FIFA games feature all the major leagues of the footballing world and allow gamers to play with any team of their choosing. Players are rated out of a theoretically possible 99 as per their particular attributes and the player with the highest rating is accepted to be the best player in the game.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, arguably two of the finest players who have played the game have dominated the FIFA best player position since FIFA 09 when the former overtook Ronaldinho to become the highest rated player in that instalment of the game.
Lionel Messi was the best in the game for six straight years, from FIFA 10 to FIFA 16, after which Ronaldo took over the mantle with a solid 94 rating.
A few years back, world football was not being dominated by a duopoly, as both of them were in the process of reaching the elite levels they are now on. There used to be a time when they were not the best or one of the best players in the game.
We list a few relatively unknown players who were rated higher than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
#5 Ze Roberto (FIFA 06 Rating-92)
The Brazilian left back was an imposing presence in Bayern Munich’s midfield when FIFA 06 was released back in 2005. Rated an overall of 92, Ze Roberto was also the best left-winger in the game. The veteran Brazilian has since had a journeyman career which has taken him to the Middle East and then led him back to Brazil.
He now plays as a left-back or a defensive midfielder for Brazilian club Palmeiras.
FIFA 06 had Cristiano Ronaldo rated at 91 for his performances at Manchester United while Lionel Messi was rated only at 78, just another La Masia youngster trying to make his mark at Barcelona. The Brazilian outscored both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on ball skills as well as passing attributes, which in retrospect look a little skewed in the Brazilian’s favour.
While Ronaldo and Messi have taken over the competition for being the best player in the game, the Brazilian veteran has relatively slowed down with advancing age. Ze Roberto was winding down his career in Brazil and last appeared in FIFA 16 with an overall of 74 when the two current generation superstars were rated 93 and 94, in favour of Cristiano Ronaldo.