LIONEL MESSI has been given his lowest rating in SIXTEEN YEARS on EA FC 25.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is the joint-16th highest rated player on the upcoming game in the series.
He finds himself behind seven Premier League stars on an 88 overall after the top 25 men’s players were revealed.
Manchester City duo Rodri and Erling Haaland are tied with Kylian Mbappe as the highest rated stars on 91.
Meanwhile, Kevin De Bruyne, Martin Odegaard, Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah complete the list of Premier League players above Messi.
England’s Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, who will appear on the cover, are also rated higher on 90.
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Messi’s decline represents his lowest rating since FIFA 08 and the first time since that edition of the video game that he has been given an overall below 90.
The 37-year-old first appeared in the series in 2005 as a 78-rated teenager on FIFA 06.
His rating later jumped to 84 before reaching 90 by FIFA 09, a year before his first Ballon d’Or win.
Messi’s overall on EA Sports’ series has even climbed as high as 94 across the last 16 years as he regularly rivalled Cristiano Ronaldo for the top rating.
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However, the Portuguese forward’s rating dropped to 86 on EA FC 24 despite his form for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.
As for Messi, he has been starring for MLS side Inter Miami in his first full season in the USA.
It remains unclear what Ronaldo’s rating will be this year.
Messi has scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists in 15 appearances across all competitions in 2024.
The Barcelona legend also won the Copa America for a second time with Argentina in the summer.
Fans can get their hands on EA FC 25 later this month when the game releases fully on September 27.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
