10 Barcelona players have made it into the Top 100 players in FIFA 20
EA has just released the list of the Top 100 players in FIFA 20. 10 Barcelona players are on that list. 3 players have received downgrades, 3 players retain their rating from FIFA 19 while 4 players have been upgraded by a single rating.
The most startling downgrade was that of Ivan Rakitić, who went down to 86 from 87. Despite his inconsistency, the Croatian playmaker had a decent season and performed in some key matches. While he did not deserve an upgrade, neither should he have been downgraded.
EA’s decision to downgrade Rakitić is even more surprising in light of the upgrade given to Sergio Busquets. The La Masia graduate was quite poor by his standards last season, and received a sudden upgrade at the age of 31.
Notwithstanding his age, Gerard Piqué’s upgrade was well-deserved. The veteran centre-back became the rallying point of a leaky defence last season, as he single-handedly guided Barça to a hard-fought 1-0 victory in the Clásico.
Luis Suárez was one of the very few players in the Top 100 to have been downgraded by 2 ratings, coming down to 89 from 91 in FIFA 19. Despite a few magical performances, the Uruguayan centre-forward was largely dependent on Lionel Messi’s supply to find the back of the net.
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This is the first FIFA game in 5 years where ‘El Pistolero’ has dropped below 90. It shows that even EA don’t have faith that Suárez will be able to extend his career into a Zlatan-like goal fiesta. Suárez’s time is done, both in reality and in the virtual world.
Suárez’s replacement at Barça, Antoine Griezmann, has held down his rating of 89. The only reason why he didn’t get a downgrade despite a trophyless season for Atlético is his performance in France’s World Cup-winning campaign.
Jordi Alba has also retained his rating of 87. He continued to perform consistently last season, and was very important in Messi’s absence. The other major downgrade was received by Alba’s former partner on the left side of defence, Samuel Umtiti.
Even Umtiti’s role in France’s World Cup victory couldn’t save him from getting a downgrade to 86 from 87, as he struggled with his fitness all season. The former Lyon centre-back made just 15 appearances in all competitions.
The latest addition to the packed Barça midfield, Frenkie de Jong, has also received an upgrade from 84 to 85. The young Netherlands international should have been given a higher upgrade, as he emerged as one of Ajax’s most important players last season.
His performance for the national team under Ronald Koeman were also excellent. Regardless, his potential still should be around 90, which is good enough. Marc-André ter Stegen has also been given an upgrade to 90, putting him at par with Alisson, Jan Oblak and David de Gea.
But most importantly, the ex-Borussia Mönchengladbach shot-stopper has now surpassed Manuel Neuer by 2 ratings. That means that he should be above the legendary sweeper keeper in the pecking order of Joachim Löw’s Germany squad.
Lastly, Lionel Messi’s rating still remains 94. But what is even more important is the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo has been downgraded to 93. They had the same rating last season, but Messi proved himself with better and more skillful performances.
These changes make Barcelona a better squad for career mode in FIFA 20, with Lionel Messi being the highest-rated player on the latest edition of the popular franchise.