FIFA 18 ratings: Projecting the top players in this year's game

Oliver Platt

FIFA 18 ratings: Projecting the top players in this year's game image

Can Cristiano Ronaldo keep his crown?

The reigning Ballon d'Or winner was the highest-rated player in FIFA 17 and having been chosen to feature on the cover of this year's game, he looks set to retain the accolade when FIFA 18 is released later this year.

FIFA 18: The complete guide

Exactly how high he will be rated and how the likes of Lionel Messi will compare to him, though, remains to be seen.

In the meantime, Goal has put together a list of projected FIFA 18 ratings that we think would represent a fair portrayal of the top players in world football.

Without further ado, here are the stars we're backing to be rated at 87 overall or higher later this year.


FIFA 18 PLAYER RATING PROJECTIONS


Player Club FIFA 17 Rating FIFA 18 Projection
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid 94 95
Lionel Messi Barcelona 93 94
Neymar Barcelona 92 92
Manuel Neuer Bayern Munich 92 91
Luis Suarez Barcelona 92 90
David de Gea Man Utd 90 90
Robert Lewandowski Bayern Munich 90 90
Thibaut Courtois Chelsea 89 90
Gianluigi Buffon Juventus 88 90
Gareth Bale Real Madrid 90 89
Eden Hazard Chelsea 89 89
Luka Modric Real Madrid 89 89
Sergio Ramos Real Madrid 89 89
Antoine Griezmann Atletico Madrid 88 89
Toni Kroos Real Madrid 88 89
Paulo Dybala Juventus 86 89
Harry Kane Tottenham 85 89
Mesut Ozil Arsenal 89 88
Sergio Aguero Man City 89 88
Paul Pogba Man Utd 88 88
Kevin De Bruyne Man City 88 88
Alexis Sanchez Arsenal 88 88
Mats Hummels Bayern Munich 88 88
Hugo Lloris Tottenham 88 88
Jan Oblak Atletico Madrid 87 88
Leonardo Bonucci AC Milan 87 88
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Free Agent 90 87
Gonzalo Higuain Juventus 89 87
Jerome Boateng Bayern Munich 89 87
Thiago Silva PSG 89 87
Marco Reus Borussia Dortmund 88 87
Giorgio Chiellini Juventus 88 87
Andres Iniesta Barcelona 88 87
James Rodriguez Bayern Munich 87 87
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Borussia Dortmund 87 87
Arturo Vidal Bayern Munich 87 87
David Silva Man City 87 87
Gerard Pique Barcelona 87 87
David Alaba Bayern Munich 86 87
Thiago Bayern Munich 86 87
Philippe Coutinho Liverpool 86 87
Marcelo Real Madrid 86 87
Isco Real Madrid 85 87
Romelu Lukaku Man Utd 85 87
N'Golo Kante Chelsea 83 87

ON THE RISE


Lionel Messi Barcelona

Cristiano Ronaldo

He is already the best player on the game, but after bagging another Champions League title and becoming FIFA's cover star Ronaldo can surely expect a little bump to his rating.

Lionel Messi

As much as it has been Ronaldo's year, Messi also posted his best goals-per-game ratio in all competitions since 2012-13.

Gianluigi Buffon

The Juventus goalkeeper may be getting older, but he was sensational in 2016-17 and deserves to be brought in line with David de Gea and Thibaut Courtois, who also gets a boost after claiming the Premier League's Golden Glove award.

Gianluigi Buffon Juventus Serie A

Antoine Griezmann

You could make an argument for the Atletico Madrid sensation earning a 90+ rating, and he may well get one. We have him just below that threshold, level with Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale.

Paulo Dybala

This was the year that Dybala firmly established himself as one of the world's best attackers. Every club in the world would love to have him in their lineup and we believe he deserves a big boost to 89 as a result.

Harry Kane

One of the biggest increases we've given goes to Kane, who really can no longer be ignored as a world-class player after netting 29 goals in 30 Premier League games last season.

N'Golo Kante

Kante earned a ratings refresh boost from 81 to 83 midway through FIFA 17's lifespan, but it was not enough. The PFA Player of the Year recipient proved himself to be a world-class ball-winner en route to his second Premier League title.


ON THE DECLINE


Luis Suarez Las Palmas Barcelona LaLiga 14052017

Luis Suarez

Suarez hasn't done much wrong - he was prolific again in 2016-17 - but having turned 30, bringing him back in line with Robert Lewandowski seems fair.

Gareth Bale

No one would be surprised to see Bale bounce back into the 90s eventually, but it's hard to justify placing him above the likes of Hazard and Dybala after an injury-hit season.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

The Swedish superstar is 35 and recovering from a serious injury. No one would bet against him making a comeback, but surely even Zlatan will start to feel the effects of physical wear and tear soon.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic Manchester United

Gonzalo Higuain

Higuain had a solid first season at Juventus, but he shaved 12 league goals off his record-breaking final campaign at Napoli and could not quite help the Bianconeri over the line in the Champions League.

Bet on the new Premier League season

Jerome Boateng

Boateng ended up playing only 13 league games in 2016-17, meaning he loses another point having already been dropped by one in the FIFA 17 ratings refresh.

Arjen Robben

This could be seen as harsh, but Robben does not seem quite as dynamic as the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Isco anymore and drops just below 87 by our reckoning.


JUST MISSED OUT


Alexandre Lacazette Arsenal

There are a number of players who will earn increases to their rating this year and have a shot at hitting 87 overall, including Alexandre Lacazette (currently 85) Casemiro (84), Raphael Varane (84), Toby Alderweireld (85), Bernardo Silva (83) and Dele Alli (82).

More established stars such as Edinson Cavani, Cesc Fabregas and Radja Nainggolan also have a chance of edging up from 86 to 87.

In addition to Robben, meanwhile, the likes of Petr Cech, Pepe, Ivan Rakitic and Diego Godin could be in line for decreases that take them off our list of the cream of the crop.

Oliver Platt