FIFA 22 ratings guide to the best male and female players

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FIFA 22 best men's players
FIFA 22 best women's players

The FIFA 22 ratings list sees Lionel Messi proclaimed the world's best player, once again. (Simmer down, Ronaldo fans: it's just a videogame.) Indeed, there's an argument to be made for Robert Lewandowski at top spot in FIFA 22. However, the Polish assassin has to make do with second place. Below we profile the top seven in detail, before running down the full FIFA 22 ratings list for both male and female players, such as Arsenal's Vivianne Miedema.

FIFA 22 best men's players

1. Lionel Messi (RW, Paris St Germain) – 93

Fresh from a move from Barcelona to Paris which apparently netted him a £25 million signing-on fee, PSG’s new number 30 is looking to score a fifth Champions league winners medal during the upcoming campaign – and a sixth Ballon d’Or. Messi’s base gold card in FIFA 22 features 85 pace, 92 shooting, 91 passing and 95 dribbling, making this the third year running that he’s topped the digitised football charts.

2. Robert Lewandowski (ST, FC Bayern) – 92

Third on the FIFA 21 ratings list, Lewa leapfrogs Cristiano Ronaldo after yet another absurdly effective campaign in both the Bundesliga and Champions League. As of FIFA 22's release date he’d netted 209 times in 223 games for Bayern, an astonishing 48 of those coming last season across just 40 matches. His new card boasts 92 shooting, 86 dribbling, and 82 physicality. Good luck trying to defend him in Division Rivals.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo (ST, Manchester United) – 91

After marking his return to Manchester with a two-goal salvo against Norwich City, Portugal’s talisman enjoyed a monster first year back in the Premier League – and a stack of FIFA 22 items as a result. Even his basic gold card sets you back millions, given the global obsession with running all-EPL squads in Ultimate Team. Packing 87 pace, 93 shooting, 82 passing and 88 dribbling, it oozes class.

4. Kevin de Bruyne (CM, Manchester City) – 91

de Bruyne joins Ronaldo as the only two Premier League players in the top seven, although there are two more immediately outside it: Spurs and England captain Harry Kane (90) and all-action Chelsea midfielder N’golo Kante (also 90). A defending rating of 64 should prevent de Bruyne going meta, and those who do pick up the Belgian can enjoy attributes of 93 passing, 88 dribbling, 86 shooting, and 76 pace.

5. Kylian Mbappe (ST, Paris St Germain) – 91

A first appearance in the top five for football’s most famed wonderkid, despite a disappointing Euro 2020 campaign in which Mbappe missed the decisive spot kick against Switzerland. Not that a single gamer, French or otherwise, lucky enough to unearth this card in FIFA 22 will care: with 97 pace, 92 dribbling, 88 shooting and 80 passing it’s assured to remain meta for the entirety of the upcoming season.

6. Neymar Jr (LW, Paris St Germain) – 91

Once a fixture in the top three, Neymar’s gentle slide down this chart continues – largely due to the improvement of Lewandowski and club-mate Mbappe, rather than any real-life regression on his own part. Despite that, its 91 pace rating ensures this will be an expensive card throughout the winter months, further bolstered by scores of 94 dribbling, 86 passing, and 83 shooting. In a word: Brazilliant.

7. Jan Oblak (GK, Atletico Madrid) – 91

Oblak is FIFA 22’s best-rated keeper, with 92 handling, 90 reflexes, and 90 positioning – narrowly holding off the challenge of 90-rated German pair Manuel Neuer and Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and Euro 2020 champion Gianluigi Donnarumma (89). Oblak’s spot here means no defenders make the top seven; you have to drop down to 15th to find the game’s best defender. Inevitably it’s Liverpool rock Virgil van Dijk, on 89, one OVR point less than he was awarded in FIFA 21.

The full FIFA 22 ratings list

Below is the official FIFA 22 ratings list. It covers the best 22 base gold cards in Ultimate Team, and is correct as of Tuesday, September 4 2021.

1. Lionel Messi (RW, Paris St Germain) – 93
2. Robert Lewandowski (ST, FC Bayern) – 92
3. Cristiano Ronaldo (ST, Manchester United) – 91
4. Kevin de Bruyne (CM, Manchester City) – 91
5. Kylian Mbappe (ST, Paris St Germain) – 91
6. Neymar Jr (LW, Paris St Germain) – 91
7. Jan Oblak (GK, Atletico Madrid) – 91
8. Harry Kane (ST, Tottenham Hotspur) – 90
9. N’golo Kante (CDM, Chelsea) – 90
10. Manuel Neuer (GK, FC Bayern) – 90
11. Marc-Andre ter Stegen (GK, Barcelona) – 90
12. Mohamed Salah (RW, Liverpool) – 89
13. Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK, Paris St Germain) – 89
14. Karim Benzema (CF, Real Madrid) – 89
15. Virgil van Dijk (CB, Liverpool) – 89
16. Joshua Kimmich (CDM, FC Bayern) – 89
17. Son Heung-Min (LM, Tottenham Hotspur) – 89
18. Alisson (GK, Liverpool) – 89
19. Thibaut Courtois (GK, Real Madrid) – 89
20. Casemiro (CDM, Real Madrid) – 89
21. Ederson (GK, Manchester City) – 89
22. Sadio Mane (LW, Liverpool) – 89

FIFA 22 best women's players

The FIFA 22 best women's players list see three elite ladies duke it out for top spot, with the Netherlands' Vivianne Miedema (above), England's Lucy Bronze, and Wendie Renard of France all sharing an OVR of 92. Miedema's individual ratings just about nudge her ahead of her rivals, while last year's number one – USA legend Megan Rapinoe – drops down to ninth. These are the best 22 female players in FIFA 22:

1. Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands) - 92
2. Lucy Bronze (England) - 92
3. Wendie Renard (France) - 92
4. Samantha Kerr (Australia) - 91
5. Amandine Henry (France) - 90
6. Dzsenifer Marozsan (Germany) - 90
7. Caroline Graham Hansen (Denmark) - 90
8. Tobin Heath (USA) - 90
9. Megan Rapinoe (USA) - 90
10. Alex Morgan (USA) - 90
11. Julie Ertz (USA) - 89
12. Eugenie Le Sommer (France) - 89
13. Lieke Martens (Netherlands) - 89
14. Christine Sinclair (Canada) - 89
15. Fran Kirby (England) - 88
16. Alexandra Popp (Germany) - 88
17. Becky Sauerbrunn (USA) - 88
18. Jenni Hermoso (Spain) - 88
19. Amel Majri (France) - 87
20. Kim Little (Scotland) - 87
21. Lindsey Horan (USA) - 87
22. Sara Dabritz (Germany) - 87