With the major European football leagues well under way for the 2014-15 season and FIFA 15's release date approaching, EA Sports has begun to announce the player ratings in the upcoming title.
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The developers are releasing the top 50 players according to their ratings, starting today from ranks 50 to 41. The lowest rating in the top 50 is an 84 overall, so we're of course still dealing with some of the best players in the sport.
I'll start with a general statement here: the series has always rated defensive players and midfielders somewhat lowly compared to other positions, even though I believe player ratings should be done in relation to the other players in that position. It's something you see in the Madden NFL series: the best wide receiver and best defensive tackle can both be rated 99, with the others in their positions falling in behind.
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While I don't think they necessarily need to go up to 99, I'm not sure why it is that elite center backs or defensive midfielders are still many overall points lower than the elite strikers. I understand that it's an overall score based on ratings, but you can't really compare how effective Aguero is compared to Javi Martinez on the same scale. All of that said, here are the rankings, along with out brief analysis of the ratings:
84 Overall: Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Pirlo, Xabi Alonso, Cesc Fabregas, Iker Casillas
Mostly a fair tier as Pirlo, Alonso, and Casillas are in the late stages of their careers on the wrong side of 30 years, but I certainly have to object to Fabregas' rating. The Spain international is one of the best midfielders in football, and is currently in his prime. Though he's perhaps docked points by being listed as a CM and his best position is arguably CAM, his actual abilities represent a much higher score. For Chiellini, the rating is about fair, though I don't think many could argue if the Italy and Juventus stalwart was an 85.
85 Overall: Hugo Lloris, Javi Martinez, Sergio Busquets, Jerome Boateng, Juan Mata
This group is a prime example of what I was explaining above, as Martinez and Busquets are probably the two best defensive or holding midfielders in world football, yet they're only rated 85. They're not Ronaldo or Messi, but they don't play the same role, either, and Busquets should be closer to 90 when compared to other DMs.
Lloris is also one of the best goalkeepers, but he would likely move up just a point or two as there are a few better in his position. This rating is somewhat fair for Mata currently (during his best days at Chelsea, he was probably about an 87 rating), but it's unclear how the younger Spaniard is rated more highly than Fabregas--they should be equal, at least.
Check back for more player ratings as they come from EA Sports leading up to the game's September 23 North America release date.