PSG superstar Lionel Messi is once again the best player in FIFA 22, with his 93-rated gold card the highest in the new edition of EA Sports' revered football video game franchise.
Despite his advancing age, the 34-year-old is rated ahead of Bayern's Robert Lewandowski (92) and five players ranked at 91 — including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Kevin De Bruyne and Jan Oblak.
Sporting News examines Messi's new FUT card and looks at his progression in FIFA throughout the years.
Lionel Messi's FIFA 22 Ultimate Team cards
Messi's current best FUT card
Lionel Messi - Rare Gold - Base Card - October 2, 2020
| Name | Position | Overall | Pace | Shooting | Passing | Dribbling | Defending | Physical |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lionel Messi | RW | 93 | 85 | 92 | 91 | 95 | 34 | 65 |
Does Lionel Messi have a 'Ones to Watch' FUT card?
Lionel Messi is one of the eight players in FIFA 22 to have been given a 'Ones to Watch' (OTW) FUT card.
These players are footballers who have moved clubs in the recent transfer window and they will receive a dynamic special OTW FUT card with a different colour background. This card will originally be the same as the player's base card, but if the player receives a 'Team of the Week' (TOTW) FUT card, the OTW card will change to the rating on the TOTW card.
MORE: Who are the Ones to Watch in FIFA 22?
For example, If Messi was to be named in FIFA's Team of the Week, he would receive a TOTW FUT card with a 94 point rating — one extra point than his base rating of 93. This means that his OTW FUT card will dynamically change to a 94-rated card, and then will change if he recieves any further TOTW FUT cards during FIFA 22's lifespan.
Other players to have OTW FUT cards are Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku, Achraf Hakimi, Jack Grealish, David Alaba, Georginio Wijnaldum and Ibrahima Konate.
How does Lionel Messi's FUT card rating improve?
There are multiple ways that Lionel Messi can get a FUT card higher than his 93-rated base card.
If he is named in FIFA's Team of the Week, he will recieve a TOTW FUT card one point higher than his current best FUT card, whether that be his base card or a previous TOTW card.
Messi could also be named in Team of the Year in December or Team of the Season in May and receive a special card that would be ranked approximately in the high 90's.
EA Sports also adds in various other special cards at times during the game, but the likelihood of Messi being involved is small to ensure his cards are rare and desirable.
The history of Lionel Messi's FUT base cards
| Edition | Position | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| FIFA 22 | RW | 93 |
| FIFA 21 | RW | 93 |
| FIFA 20 | RW | 94 |
| FIFA 19 | CF | 94 |
| FIFA 18 | RW | 93 |
| FIFA 17 | RW | 93 |
| FIFA 16 | RW | 94 |
| FIFA 15 | CF | 93 |
| FIFA 14 | CF | 94 |
| FIFA 13 | CF | 93 |
| FIFA 12 | CF | 94 |
| FIFA 11 | RW | 90 |
| FIFA 10 | RW | 91 |
