The fanatical football simulation game by EA Sports has announced a list of upgrades and downgrades to the Top 100 players, and some of the reductions to a list of footballers are quite intriguing indeed. While some were expected and understandable, some were definitely not so justifiable. Whatever the debate maybe it is clear that FIFA gives out grades owing to the overall team performance and the player’s contribution to it – weighted out by their international reputation as well. The ‘Player Cards’ also consists of attributes that reflect the player’s ability.
Let us look at the Top 10 downgrades given out by FIFA 21 in its latest listing –
1) Diego Godin
CLUB – Inter Milan
NATIONALITY – Uruguay
RATING DECREASE – (-3)
POSITION – CB
In what was a disappointing season for Inter Milan ultimately finishing 3rd in Serie A and losing out in the Europa League, Diego Godin did not exactly become the defensive leader they hoped he would be. With news that he is off to Cagliari and increasing age, the downgrade was probably justified.
2) Eden Hazard
CLUB – Real Madrid
NATIONALITY – Belgium
RATING DECREASE – (-3)
POSITION – LW
Having been ruled out with a host of injuries since his big-money transfer from Chelsea, the -3 possibly reflects his situation. After missing over 30 games in his debut season with Real Madrid and not having a chance to showcase his talent, the injuries also reflected the fact that he could not have participated in international competitions as well.
3) Christian Eriksen
CLUB – Inter Milan
NATIONALITY – Denmark
RATING DECREASE – (-3)
POSITION – CAM
Although he is still playing an important role at Denmark, attacking midfielder Eriksen did not exactly light up Serie A in his half-season there with Inter. After forcing a transfer from Tottenham, Eriksen was unable to recreate the magic and that is probably the reason why he has suffered in his numbers.
4) Luka Modric
CLUB – Inter Milan
NATIONALITY – Denmark
RATING DECREASE – (-3)
POSITION – CM
For 2018 Ballon D’Or winner Luka Modric, it is not entirely sure why there has been a fall from grace. Despite being 34, he still won the La Liga with Real Madrid and has been leading Croatia from the front. If there is indeed an explanation for his rating decrease, it can only clearly be his age impacting the level of performances from previous seasons.
5) David De Gea
CLUB – Manchester United
NATIONALITY – Spain
RATING DECREASE – (-3)
POSITION – GK
For a club of Manchester United’s stature, they need to be winning trophies from season to season. However, for both club and country, De Gea has not exactly been a shining star in recent times. With glaring errors and a lack of consistency, the rating decrease is reflective of his reduced ability.
6) Marco Reus
CLUB – Borussia Dortmund
NATIONALITY – Germany
RATING DECREASE – (-3)
POSITION – CAM
Probably one of the unluckiest players to have played the sport, Marco Reus was handed a -3 on his player card. A career marred by injuries, inconsistency and bad luck, Reus has never been able to replicate a full campaign with considerable success and so, the reduced rating.
7) Gerard Pique
CLUB – FC Barcelona
NATIONALITY – Spain
RATING DECREASE – (-2)
POSITION – CB
A troublesome situation for the Catalan club on the pitch for quite some seasons meant that Gerard Pique was equally culpable for the team’s performances. Additionally, with an entire young generation of players incoming at the national team level, Pique has not managed to cover himself in glory with country either. As a result, he has been given a -2 on his FIFA player card.
8) Antoine Griezmann
CLUB – FC Barcelona
NATIONALITY – France
RATING DECREASE – (-2)
POSITION – ST
Much like his club teammate Pique, Griezmann has so far failed to get going at his new club and looks like a slight shadow figure from his Atletico days. The Barcelona forward has done decently for France, and so it is possible that the rating decrease is owed to his level of performance at the club.
9) Thiago Alcantara
CLUB – FC Bayern Munich
NATIONALITY – Spain
RATING DECREASE – (-2)
POSITION – CM
Possibly the most puzzling of the lot, it is very hard to explain why a treble winner in his prime has been handed a -2 rating decrease! Thiago has certainly been in form for club and country, and doing what is expected of him – this is a testament that FIFA can do some errors while handling ratings.
10) Paul Pogba
CLUB – Manchester United
NATIONALITY – France
RATING DECREASE – (-2)
POSITION – CM
Having missed for more than half of the 2019/20 season due to injury and being underwhelming when he did return to fitness, Pogba failed to keep up his performances from the 2018/19 season. With a plethora of midfielders taking his place in France, the midfielder clearly has more work to do.
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