FIFA 18's Top 100: EA Reveal the Best Players for the Upcoming Release (100-81)
It's a yearly instalment for any self-respecting football fan and the latest edition of FIFA is very much on its way.
In the run-up to the newest release, EA Sports will be sharing a number of player ratings on the game throughout September to whet fans' appetites.
Here's 100th through to the 81st to get the ball rolling...
1. Bernardo Silva (84)
Coming off the back of a title winning previous season with AS Monaco, Manchester City new boy Bernardo Silva earns himself a deserved place within the top 100, with an overall rating of 84.
Being 81 on FIFA 17, the Portuguese attacker has increased by 3, with pace rising from 79 to 81 and dribbling growing from 81 to 89, making him one composed customer to deal with on the game for sure.
2. Sami Khedira (84)
Juventus gained yet another Serie A title, Khedira is now an 84, rather than his formative rating of 83, an assured measure of his demonstrative midfield presence.
The German's physicality, however, has dropped by one mark from 85 to 84, and his pace has also fallen casualty, going from 66 to 64, but his passing has gone from 78 to 80. Although a year on and despite a slight downgrade in some respects, it's clear to see that experience takes presidency.
3. Sadio Mane (84)
Mane sees his card rise substantially from a respectable 79 to a potent 84, and rightly so after his initial form for Liverpool at the start of the 2017-18 campaign.
Being a speedster, his pace has risen by 1 and his dribbling has been bolstered by 3, whereas his shooting has gone from a 73 to a fairly consistent 78 - the Reds will be relying on his qualities on the break, as will many gamers on FUT.
4. Dani Alves (84)
Jumping ship from Juve to Paris Saint-Germain during the summer, Alves has seen his rating take a knock by 1 mark, though being 34-years-old, it was inevitable that the Brazilian was going to slow down somewhat.
In light of movement, his pace has plummeted by 5 and his defending has dropped by 1, but, unsurprisingly, his dribbling which is mesmerising at times has gone from 82 to 84.
5. Marco Asensio (84)
Los Blancos' very own poster boy after Cristiano Ronaldo, Asensio burst onto the senior stage last term for Zinedine Zidane's men with a bang, and is now regarded as one of the game's brightest starlets.
With an overall rating of 84, the 21-year-old has flourished from his previous mark of 81, and with age being on his side, it seems that he has the world at his feet.
6. Falcao (84)
Another member of Monaco's historic victorious Ligue 1 set-up, Colombian striker Falcao has seen him go from an 81 to an 84, paying homage to his prolific services in-front of the target last term.
His pace has since dropped by 2, but his shooting is now 84 opposed to 80 and his dribbling has climbed one solitary point, showing a progression in the hit-man's game, who endured a fairy torrid time on English shores with both Chelsea and Manchester United.
7. Mauro Icardi (84)
82 to 84, that's how much Icardi has grown in the past 12 months for Inter Milan allegedly, with the Argentine making a household name of himself at the San Siro.
His newest upgrade sees him become a sturdy offensive threat, though his pace has remained the same as well as his dribbling.
8. Dele Alli (84)
Tottenham Hotspur's maestro in the middle Alli supplied teammate Harry Kane with an endless supply of ammunition last term whilst fashioning opportunities of his own, and has had a hefty 4 point jump on his overall rating.
Dribbling has also increased by 4 and even his defending has made for the better, going from 61 to 64 - could he be on his way to becoming an all rounder in the centre of the park?
9. Bernd Leno (85)
Bayer Leverkusen languished in 12th last term in the Bundesliga, but it didn't stop Leno getting involved in the top 100, despite his overall mark being slashed by 1.
Regarded as Manuel Neuer's eventual international successor, the 25-year-old should not be deterred by his latest ranking, however his handling has dropped by 2, so queue the 'butter fingers' jibes.
10. Claudio Marchisio (85)
A tireless professional, Marchisio is forever a mainstay amongst the best of the bunch, although once being 86, he has now been dubbed an 85, a wholesome rating no less.
Age will not slow him down, though, and despite being 31-years-old, the central midfielder's pace is now one shade better than before at 78, with his dribbling morphing from 82 to 84 on top of that, too.
11. Stéphane Ruffier (85)
It's as you were for Ruffier, who remains a stopper with a safe rating of 85, meaning that once again he's a desired figure to possess between the sticks.
Not much has shifted in terms of his attributes, although his handling is now at 84 instead of 83, and his positioning has increased by 2.
12. Ilkay Gündoğan (85)
City fans may have forgotten about Gundogan after the holding midfielder spent the majority of the previous campaign on the sideline, but the German remains an 85, a true measure of his underlying quality.
His traits have gotten stronger, however, with pace rising by 4, and shooting going from 72 to 74 - the only notable casualty being passing which has been docked by 1 point.
13. Danijel Subašić (85)
The man who manned the floodgates for Monaco, Subasic is a worthy member of the best 100, and has been handed an extra 2 points overall as a reward for his services.
Diving has been increased by 2 and reflexes has been amplified by 4 - the Croat should and will be over the moon with that dose of decorated recognition.
14. Raphaël Varane (85)
Now that Pepe is out of the picture at the Santiago Bernabeu, the Galacticos need a new defensive enforcer, and who else is better than Varane to fill the Portuguese international's imposing void.
Strengthening by 1 point in the grand scheme of things, fans may feel that his pace is very, very wrong being at 79, as the Frenchman is undoubtedly one of the game's most mobile centre-halfs - but, fundamentally, it is an increase of 2.
15. Kamil Glik (85)
A stalwart in the defensive third, Glik propped-up Monaco's fruitful title-claiming campaign effortlessly, and is now looked upon as one of the games most solid defenders.
Formally rated at 83, he's now a well rounded 85, although with a mark of just 56 for pace, it's probably best to make sure that he isn't implemented as a covering defender, or basically they'll be no hope of stifling a counter attack.
16. Andrea Barzagli (85)
Another modern day Italian legend, Barzagli, who is remarkably still battling on at 36-years-of-age, is still one of the game's most highly rated players, with a rating of 85 acting as the rubber stamp to his class.
Falling by 1 point overall, his pace, naturally, has also dropped by 3, though his dribbling has grown by 2, perhaps suggesting that his focus and attention is still at it's peak.
17. Vincent Kompany (85)
No stranger to the injury list by any means, but Kompany has retained an enviable rating of 85, even if he has dropped by 1 mark in the past season or so.
A massive 6 points has been swiped from his pace and even his actual defending has had a mark stolen, meaning that a possible decline for the Belgian could quite literally be on the cards.
18. Henrikh Mkhitaryan (85)
Forever to be remembered for his 'scorpion kick' goal, despite it being a tad offside, Mkhitaryan is and presumably always will be a solid 85, the same to what he was on the current and soon to be previous edition of FIFA.
There's no need for too much pace when you can execute fancy flicks, so the Armenian play-maker's relevant attribute has dropped by 3 - maybe his acrobatics will subsidise the loss in mobility.
19. Yannick Carrasco (85)
Forget about being a lowly 82, Atletico Madrid's Carrasco is now seen to be 85, which is justified when considering that he is one of the sport's best left-wingers.
Pace remains the same, but dribbling has undergone an increase of 3, passing was 76 and is now 78, too, highlighting his ability to interlink with his Atleti teammates whilst full flow on the attack.
20. Marc-André ter Stegen (85)
Ter Stegen's previous campaign was not without it's fair share of howlers and clangers, but being part of Germany's ever producing conveyor-belt of unprecedented talent, it would be rude not to have him as part of the top 100.
85 from 83, that's not bad for a keeper with a tendency to drop the ball into his own net, but with all jokes aside, the German is still a brilliantly valiant performer on his day, and his handling, startlingly, has even grown by 2.
