Cristiano Ronaldo claimed the golden boot at Euro 2020, but FIFA 21 ratings see the tournament's top goalscorer limited to second place – and there's no surprise to discover who occupies the single spot ahead of him. With an overall rating of 93, Lionel Messi is the best player in FIFA 21. There's a chance Robert Lewandowski edges ahead of both next year, but that's a discussion to be had once FIFA 22 lands in October. Until then, enjoy these profiles of the best seven players in this year's game, followed by a rundown of the top 100 FIFA 21 ratings list.
1. Lionel Messi (RW, Barcelona) – 93
Little Leo’s future at the Nou Camp remains uncertain, but there is no longer any doubt about his status as FIFA 21’s best player. His overall rating of 93 is one point lower than his original FIFA 20 card, which screamed with a massive score of 94. But this was still the item everyone chased when the game landed on 9 October, boasting 96 dribbling, 96 ball control, 95 vision and 95 finishing.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (ST, Piemonte Calcio) – 92
The Messi vs Ronaldo debate will rage until one of them retires, and rumble for another decade following, but it’s swiftly ended in FIFA. EA is never going to want its game’s best player attached to an unlicensed side, so Juventus’ talisman plays second fiddle to his South American rival for the second year running. 95 positioning, 95 finishing, 95 reactions and 92 ball control mean you have to fork out the annual GDP of Portugal to afford this card.
3. Robert Lewandowski (ST, FC Bayern) – 91
61 goals in 57 matches. No, that’s not the wrong way around. In 2019-20, the prolific Pole found the onion bag at a rate of 1.11 goals per game – no surprise that Bayern stormed both the Bundesliga and Champions League. I’d argue that he should be top of this list, but that would have caused an outcry from Messi and Ronaldo fans on social media, so third will have to do. Enjoy ratings of 94 finishing, 94 positioning, 93 reaction and 89 shot power.
4. Kevin de Bruyne (CAM, Manchester City) – 91
The Premier League’s best player in real life is rewarded with the honour of being the Premier League’s best player in FIFA 21. Which may sound like stating the obvious, but isn’t – sometimes skills required in a videogame don’t match up with elite abilities on the real turf. Ratings of 94 short passing, 93 long passing, 92 ball control and 91 reactions ensure de Bruyne is also the game’s best central midfielder, ahead of Casemiro (Real Madrid, 89), Joshua Kimmich (FC Bayern, 88) and Toni Kroos (Real Madrid, 88).
5. Neymar Jr (LW, Paris SG) – 91
The top three may be out of reach this year, but Neymar’s spot among the FIFA 21 ratings elite was never in question. Entering his age 28 season, the Brazilian nabs scores of 94 acceleration, 89 sprint speed, 95 ball control and 95 dribbling. Defeated Champions League finalists PSG have three additional players in the game’s top 50: Kylian Mbappe (ST, 90), Angel Di Maria (RW, 87), and Keylor Navas (GK, 87).
6. Jan Oblak (GK, Atletico Madrid) – 91
The best goalkeeper in FIFA 21 narrowly edges out Marc-Andre Ter Stegen (Barcelona, 90), Alisson (Liverpool, 90), Manuel Neuer (FC Bayern, 89) and Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid, 89). Quite the showing for the Spanish league there, though expect Alisson to cost the most upon release, given the community obsession with building Premier-League-focussed squads. Should you plump for Oblak you’ll be rewarded with 92 handling, 90 reflexes, 90 positioning, and 87 diving.
7. Virgil van Dijk (CB, Liverpool) – 90
Rounding out the top seven is Liverpool’s none-shall-pass Dutchman, now comfortably established as the best defender on the planet. Astonishingly, this time eleven years ago he was released on a free transfer by Willem II. Oops! You won’t find him for nada in FIFA 21, sadly, and club-mates Trent Alexander-Arnold (RB, 87) and Andy Robertson (LB, 87) also cost a packet. Capture VVD and you can gloat about his 93 marking, 93 standing tackle, 90 interceptions and 90 jumping.
FIFA 21 ratings: the complete FIFA 21 top 100 players list
1. Lionel Messi, Barcelona (93)
2. Cristiano Ronaldo, Piemonte Calcio (92)
3. Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich (91)
4. Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City (91)
5. Neymar Jr., Paris Saint-Germain (91)
6. Jan Oblak, Atletico de Madrid (91)
7. Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool (90)
8. Kylian Mbappé, Paris Saint-Germain (90)
9. Mohamed Salah, Liverpool (90)
10. Sadio Mané, Liverpool (90)
11. Marc-Andre ter Stegen, FC Barcelona (90)
12. Alisson, Liverpool (90)
13. Sergio Aguero, Manchester City (89)
14. Sergio Ramos, Real Madrid (89)
15. Karim Benzema, Real Madrid (89)
16. Manuel Neuer, Bayern Munich (89)
17. Thibaut Courtois, Real Madrid (89)
18. Casemiro, Real Madrid (89)
19. Eden Hazard, Real Madrid (88)
20. Raheem Sterling, Manchester City (88)
21. Samir Handanovic, Inter (88)
22. Toni Kroos, Real Madrid (88)
23. Kalidou Koulibaly, Napoli (88)
24. Harry Kane, Tottenham (88)
25. Ederson, Manchester City (88)
26. Paulo Dybala, Piemonte Calcio (88)
27. Joshua Kimmich, Bayern Munich (88)
28. N’Golo Kante, Chelsea (88)
29. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool (87)
30. Giorgio Chiellini, Piemonte Calcio (87)
31. Hugo Lloris, Tottenham (87)
32. Luis Suarez, Barcelona (87)
33. Luka Modric, Real Madrid (87)
34. Angel Di Maria, Paris Saint-Germain (87)
35. Wojciech Szczęsny, Piemonte Calcio (87)
36. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Arsenal (87)
37. Sergio Busquets, Barcelona (87)
38. Ciro Immobile, Lazio (87)
39. Keylor Navas, Paris Saint-Germain (87)
40. Antoine Griezmann, Barcelona (87)
41. Heung-Min Son, Tottenham (87)
42. Roberto Firmino, Liverpool (87)
43. Fabinho, Liverpool (87)
44. Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United (87)
45. Aymeric Laporte, Manchester City (87)
46. Andy Robertson, Livepool (87)
47. Bernardo Silva, Manchester City (87)
48. Jadon Sancho, Borussia Dortmund (87)
49. Alejandro Gomez, Atalanta (87)
50. Gerard Pique, Barcelona (86)
51. David Silva, Real Sociedad (86)
52. Yann Sommer, Borussia Mönchengladbach (86)
53. Mats Hummels, Borussia Dortmund (86)
54. Jordan Henderson, Liverpool (86)
55. Jordi Alba, Barcelona (86)
56. Thomas Muller, Bayern Munich (86)
57. David De Gea, Manchester United (86)
58. Paul Pogba, Manchester United (86)
59. Marco Verratti, Paris Saint-Germain (86)
60. Raphael Varane, Real Madrid (86)
61. Dani Carvajal, Real Madrid (86)
62. Jamie Vardy, Leicester City (86)
63. Thiago Silva, Chelsea (85)
64. Dries Mertens, Napoli (85)
65. Miralem Pjanic, Barcelona (85)
66. Gini Wijnaldum, Liverpool (85)
67. Diego Godin, Inter (85)
68. Toby Alderweireld, Tottenham (85)
69. Leonardo Bonucci, Piemonte Calcio (85)
70. Péter Gulácsi, RB Leipzig (85)
71. Marco Reus, Borussia Dortmund (85)
72. Kyle Walker, Manchester City (85)
73. Thiago Alcantara, Liverpool (85)
74. Dani Parejo, Villarreal (85)
75. Christian Eriksen, Inter (85)
76. Alex Sandro, Piemonte Calcio (85)
77. Romelu Lukaku, Inter (85)
78. Bernd Leno, Arsenal (85)
79. Koke, Atletico Madrid (85)
80. Lorenzo Insigne, Napoli (85)
81. Luis Alberto, Lazio (85)
82. Mauro Icardi, Paris Saint-Germain (85)
83. Memphis Depay, Lyon (85)
84. Riyad Mahrez, Manchester City (85)
85. Serge Gnabry, Bayern Munich (85)
86. Marquinhos, Paris Saint-Germain (85)
87. Hakim Ziyech, Chelsea (85)
88. Ricardo Pereira, Leicester City (85)
89. Timo Werner, Chelsea (85)
90. Clement Lenglet, Barcelona (85)
91. Leroy Sane, Bayern Munich (85)
92. Sergej Milinković-Savić, Lazio (85)
93. Frenkie De Jong, Barcelona (85)
94. Gianluigi Donnarumma, AC Milan (85)
95. Marcus Rashford, Manchester United (85)
96. Rodri, Manchester City (85)
97. Milan Skriniar, Inter (85)
98. Matthijs de Ligt, Piemonte Calcio (85)
99. Kai Havertz, Chelsea (85)
100. Erling Haaland, Borussia Dortmund (84)
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