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Sports Illustrated

Sport

Barnaby Lane

Lionel Messi’s FIFA/EA FC Rating History

Lionel Messi EA FC Fifa Cristiano Ronaldo Kylian Mbappé Robert Lewandowski Soccer EA SPORTS FC Barcelona Inter Miami

EA FC, the hugely popular soccer video game series formerly known as FIFA, dates back to 1993.

While the franchise was already successful, it truly exploded in popularity during the early 2000s as EA expanded its licensing deals, introduced more authentic player likenesses, badges and stadiums, and significantly improved the gameplay experience.

That rise coincided with the emergence of Lionel Messi. The Argentine superstar quickly went from a promising youngster to one of the defining figures of the sport—and eventually, one of the defining faces of the game itself.

Messi became such a central part of the franchise that he featured on the cover of its major international releases for four consecutive years. Although stars such as Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham have since taken over the spotlight, Messi remains a hugely important figure within the series and, remarkably, one of its highest-rated players even in the latter stages of his career.

So, how has EA’s assessment of Messi changed over the years?

Here, we track his FIFA/EA FC rating from his first appearance in FIFA 06 through the latest edition, EA FC 27, charting his remarkable rise from teenage prospect to the game’s ultimate superstar.

Lionel Messi FIFA/EA FC Rating History

Messi FIFA 16 — Messi was the cover star of FIFA 16. | EA Sports

FIFA 06–FIFA 11

Lionel Messi first appeared in the FIFA series in FIFA 06, receiving a modest 78 overall. It was a rating that reflected a hugely promising teenager rather than the superstar he would become.

His overall jumped to 84 in FIFA 07, while his Career Mode potential reached an eye-catching 94 after he scored 14 goals in 26 appearances for Barcelona during the 2006–07 season.

By FIFA 09, Messi had broken into the elite, earning a 90 rating and sitting joint-second alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaká. He retained that mark in FIFA 10 and FIFA 11, despite winning his first Ballon d’Or during the latter game’s cycle.

FIFA 12–FIFA 20

This was Messi’s true era of dominance within FIFA.

A 94 rating in FIFA 12 made him the game’s highest-rated player, edging out Ronaldo. He maintained that overall for the following two editions before dropping to 93 in FIFA 15, as Ronaldo claimed back-to-back Ballon d’Or awards.

Messi bounced back to 94 in FIFA 16, but FIFA 17 marked a changing of the guard. Ronaldo moved ahead with a 94 rating while Messi slipped to 93.

The Argentine wouldn’t reclaim the outright top spot until FIFA 20, when he returned to 94 and Ronaldo dropped to 93.

FIFA 21–FIFA 23

Messi remained FIFA’s highest-rated player during its final years.

His last season at Barcelona earned him a 93-rated card in FIFA 21, putting him ahead of Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski, who both received 92.

After moving to PSG, Messi retained his 93 overall in FIFA 22, keeping him at the summit for another year.

Then came FIFA 23, the final game released under the FIFA name. Messi dropped to 91, but that was still enough to rank him joint-top alongside Kylian Mbappé, Karim Benzema, Kevin De Bruyne and Lewandowski.

EA FC

The transition from FIFA to EA FC coincided with the beginning of Messi’s gradual decline in the ratings.

His first EA FC card was still an elite 90 overall, but his move to Inter Miami and Major League Soccer saw his rating fall to 87 in EA FC 25 and then 86 in EA FC 26—his lowest mark since FIFA 08.

For EA FC 27, however, Messi has climbed back to 89 overall. That makes him the joint-third-highest-rated men’s player, alongside several other elite names, including Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, Arsenal’s Gabriel and PSG’s Willian Pacho and Nuno Mendes.

Messi’s Statistics & Rating in FIFA/EA Sports FC

Messi EA FC 24 — Messi has still got it in EA FC. | EA Sports

This table tracks how Lionel Messi’s in-game attributes have evolved throughout his career. EA FC 27 marks his 21st appearance in the iconic soccer gaming franchise.

Game	Pace	Shooting	Passing	Dribbling	Defending	Physical	Overall Rating
FIFA 06	87	76	71	86	35	64	78
FIFA 07	93	81	55	90	35	64	84
FIFA 08	95	83	56	91	46	68	86
FIFA 09	95	84	56	92	46	63	90
FIFA 10	94	85	54	93	45	62	90
FIFA 11	91	87	85	93	29	62	90
FIFA 12	93	87	84	96	30	62	94
FIFA 13	93	88	85	96	30	67	94
FIFA 14	92	88	85	96	32	65	94
FIFA 15	93	86	85	95	32	65	93
FIFA 16	92	85	85	94	30	63	94
FIFA 17	89	87	88	94	32	62	93
FIFA 18	88	87	89	95	32	62	94
FIFA 19	88	88	91	95	36	64	94
FIFA 20	87	89	92	95	41	65	94
FIFA 21	85	89	92	95	40	63	93
FIFA 22	84	88	92	94	38	63	92
FIFA 23	81	87	91	94	38	63	91
EA FC 24	80	86	91	93	36	63	90
EA FC 25	79	84	85	88	36	63	87
EA FC 26	79	84	84	87	36	63	86
EA FC 27	76	87	89	90	33	63	89