Lionel Messi has been in the top two players on FIFA for 15-straight editions - but for EAFC 24 he is no longer there
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Lionel Messi has been the highest-rated player on FIFA for 12 of the last 14 years, but when the rebranded EAFC 24 drops on September 29 he will have to settle for being the joint-fourth best men's player on the game.
Despite leading Argentina to World Cup 2022 and making a frightening start to life at Inter Miami, Messi's overall rating has dropped from 91 to 90 as the game enters a new era away from the superstardom of the 36-year-old and his long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
In announcing Lionel Messi is no longer the highest-rated player on the game, EA also revealed the best 24 players across men’s and women’s football ahead of a more comprehensive run-down on footballers from across Europe's top leagues in the coming week.
Messi is no longer the best player on the game (Image credit: Getty Images)
Topping the ratings in the men's game is the trio of Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne and Kylian Mbappe. All three had impressive 2022/23 campaigns, though the former duo were exceptional as Manchester City won the treble.
Barcelona forward Alexia Putellas, meanwhile, is out on her own as the unarguable best player in the women's game on EAFC 24, with her rating of 91 the same as Haaland, De Bruyne and Mbappe.
Chelsea duo Sam Kerr and Guro Reiten are the only player from the Women's Super League (WSL) to make the top-12 of women's footballers, with the Australian among the top four players after being given a rating of 90.
Mohamed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk and Harry Kane all make the top 12 in the men's game, too.
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EAFC 24 ratings: Top 24 players revealed
Men's
EAFC 24 best men's players on the game (Image credit: EA)
Erling Haaland (Manchester City) - 91
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) - 91
Kylian Mbappe (PSG) - 91
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) - 90
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) - 90
Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) - 90
Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad) - 90
Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) - 90
Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid) - 89
Virjil Van Dijk (Liverpool) - 89
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) - 89
Neymar Jr. (Al-Hilal) - 89
Women's
EAFC 24 best women's players on the game (Image credit: EA)
Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.
