Lionel Messi is no longer ranked as the best player in the world on Football Manager 2022.
Sports Interactive released the Main Winter Update for Football Manager 2022 on Thursday, February 24, 2022, with players now able to load up and use an updated database (22.3.0) for their new save games. The updated FM22 database features all of the latest winter transfers from around the world, but it also features updated player attributes and current ability levels. The FM22 Main Winter Update also introduces a Versus mode.
And following the FM22 Main Winter Update, there have been a number of current ability changes to some huge names, including the likes of Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski, and it's completely changed the rankings of the best players in the world on the game.
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On the new FM22 database (22.3.0), Messi's current ability (CA) has been downgraded from 194 out of 200 to 186 out of 200, which has seen him drop from the best player on FM22, down to fourth. This change means that Bayern Munich striker Lewandowski is now ranked as the best player in the world on FM22, followed by Man City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne in second and Kylian Mbappe in third.
But it's even worse for Cristiano Ronaldo, who before the Main Winter Update was ranked as the seventh-best player on FM22, but following the release of the new update, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is now ranked 33rd, following his current ability dropping from 182 to 167 out of 200.
Here is the definitive list of the best players in the world, according to Football Manager 2022, following the Main Winter Update.
- Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich (190/200)
- Kevin De Bruyne - Manchester City (187/200)
- Kylian Mbappe - Paris Saint-Germain (186/200)
- Lionel Messi - Paris Saint-Germain (186/200)
- Mohamed Salah - Liverpool (184/200)
- Virgil van Dijk - Liverpool (180/200)
- Karim Benzema - Real Madrid (180/200)
- Neymar - Paris Saint-Germain (180/200)
- Harry Kane - Tottenham Hotspur (179/200)
- Thibaut Courtois - Real Madrid (178/200)
- Manuel Neuer - Bayern Munich (178/200)
- Joshua Kimmich - Bayern Munich (178/200)
- Erling Haaland - Borussia Dortmund (177/200)
- Jan Oblak - Atletico Madrid (176/200)
- Sadio Mane - Liverpool (176/200)
- Luka Modric - Real Madrid (174/200)
- Marc-Andre ter Stegen - Barcelona (174/200)
- Alisson - Liverpool (174/200)
- Thomas Muller - Bayern Munich (174/200)
- Bernardo Silva - Manchester City (174/200)
- Romelu Lukaku - Chelsea (171/200)
- Ruben Dias - Manchester City (171/200)
- N'Golo Kante - Chelsea (170/200)
- Ederson - Manchester City (170/200)
- Toni Kroos - Real Madrid (169/200)
- Bruno Fernandes - Manchester United (169/200)
- Raheem Sterling - Manchester City (169/200)
- Leroy Sane - Bayern Munich (169/200)
- Heung-Min Son - Tottenham Hostpur (168/200)
- Aymeric Laporte - Manchester City (168/200)
- Jack Grealish - Manchester City (167/200)
- Joao Cancelo - Manchester City (167/200)
- Cristiano Ronaldo - Manchester United (167/200)
- Vinicius Junior - Real Madrid (166/200)
- Antonio Rudiger - Chelsea (166/200)
- Luis Suarez - Atletico Madrid (166/200)
- Lautaro Martinez - Inter (166/200)
- Antoine Griezmann - Atletico Madrid (165/200)
- Edouard Mendy - Chelsea (165/200)
- Leon Goretzka - Bayern Munich (165/200)
- Rodri - Manchester City (165/200)
- Mason Mount - Chelsea (164/200)
- Jorginho - Chelsea (164/200)
- Fabinho - Liverpool (164/200)
- Mateo Kovacic - Chelsea (164/200)
- Frenkie de Jong - Barcelona (164/200)
- David Alaba - Real Madrid (164/200)
- Serge Gnabry - Bayern Munich (164/200)
- Thiago Alcantara - Liverpool (164/200)
- Nicolo Barella - Inter (164/200)
- Angel Di Maria - Paris Saint-Germain (164/200)
- Sergej Milinkovic-Savic - Lazio (164/200)
Football Manager (FM) is the world’s leading football management simulation title. With more than 50 countries to manage in and a database of over 800,000 players and staff, it offers an incredibly detailed and immersive experience.
In FM you make all of the key decisions, from signing (and selling) players through training, team selection and tactics as you take your team to the top of the footballing world while carving out your own philosophy and strengthening your club’s identity.
FM has grown to become more than just a game and has embedded itself in the football industry; the FM database is used by several clubs to help shape their recruitment strategies and thousands of professional footballers and backroom staff members are committed fans of the game.
