FIFA 23will mark the end of an era. EA Sports and international governing body FIFA are finally set to go their separate ways, withEA planning to release a brand new IP calledEA Sports FCin 2023. FIFA will continue to put its name to a soccer sim in one way or the other, although it’s unclear as to which studio is set to take up the mantle for future licensed games. With a new trailer dropping recently,FIFA 23is set to be the last time the pair join forces.
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Football is a turbulent old game, meaning that some players have endured some tricky times as others have flourished. As is often the case with top-level sport, it doesn’t take much for a bad run of form to affect a person’s performances, with players in decline or out of sorts having theirFIFAratings adjusted accordingly. For the stars who have struggled in recent months, it’s likely that next year’s installment will see a downturn in those all-important stats.
Current player ratings are taken from the latest FIFA 22 online update.
10Gareth Bale: Current Rating: 81 – Predicted Rating: 78
Like Hazard and Sanchez, Gareth Bale remains one of football’s greatest enigmas. Massively talented but never quite fitting in with Real Madrid or its management, Bale has been on the decline ever since injuries started plaguing his career two or three years ago.
There’s still a huge talent in there somewhere, and Bale’s heroics for Wales will probably keep his reputation intact, but a European player plying their trade in the MLS usually indicates a decline in status. Bale’s numbers are likely to reflect that sad fact whenFIFA 23drops in September.
9Dele Alli: Current Rating: 79 – Predicted Rating: 76
Dele Alli was once touted as the best young midfielder in the world. During the 2016/17 season, Alli hit his phenomenal prime, scoring 17 goals and registering eight assists in 36 Premier League appearances. Since that time, the Englishman just hasn’t been the same, although he continued to show flashes of that brilliance at Spurs up until relatively recently.
It wasn’t enough to save the dynamic midfielder, however, and Spurs finally decided that his time at the London club was up as they shipped him off to Everton where he only just avoided relegation. Much like his current club, Alli is in trouble and nowhere near the force he used to be.
8Marcus Rashford: Current Rating: 83 – Predicted Rating: 80
It’s hard to explain where it’s all gone wrong for Marcus Rashford. Initially one of England andManchester United’s brightest stars, the 24-year-old can’t quite seem to cash in on his potential. Injuries haven’t helped, but it’s hard to find the true answer to Rashford’s problems.
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The 2021-2022 season was probably the much-touted striker’s nadir as a United player, seeing the England star in and out of the team as he struggled for goals and form. A drop out of the international setup will only compound the inevitable rating dip that’s coming Rashford’s way.
7Alexis Sanchez: Current Rating: 79 – Predicted Rating: 76
Much like Eden Hazard, it seems as though Alexis Sanchez’s decline was precipitated by one bad move. Sanchez was phenomenal at Barcelona and arguably even better at Arsenal, but his move to Manchester United saw the Chilean become a shadow of his former self.
Sanchez’s reputation has somewhat recovered at new home Inter Milan, but he’s hardly hit the heights that earned him nearly 150 caps for his native Chile. Inter is ateam looking to growinto the future and keen to move Sanchez on, so players shouldn’t be too surprised to see the Chilean’s numbers drop once again.
6Sergio Ramos: Current Rating: 86 – Predicted Rating: 83
The most ruinous thing that can happen to a player’s rating, besides perhaps age, is injury. Spanish legend Sergio Ramos has spent pretty much his entire time at French giants PSG out injured, only making 12 appearances for the side since he joined in 2021.
Ramos is still one of thehighest-rated playersin the game, but at 36 and with his best days likely behind him, a drop in rating is likely to follow. If anyone can resurrect things for next season it’s Ramos, but at the moment, the story looks to be one of decline.
5Tanguy Ndombele: Current Rating: 80 – Predicted Rating: 77
It’s hard to believe that Tanguy Ndombele was Tottenham’s most expensive signing when he joined from Lyon in 2019. Since then, Ndombele has barely done anything of note at Spurs, falling out with managers and coaching staff and never hitting the heights expected of him.
So bad has his form been that the Frenchman was loaned back to Lyon for the end of the 2021-2022 season with an option to buy, making 11 appearances during his time there and not finding the net once. Ndombele is struggling for form and soFIFA 23’s ratingwill probably not be kind.
4Nicolas Pépé: Current Rating: 80 – Predicted Rating: 77
Nicolas Pépé’s time at Arsenal has been a disaster. There should be a magic and prestige playing up top for the North London club when one considers the players they’ve had at their disposal in the past. However, Pépé has been utterly anonymous since the moment he broke The Gunners' transfer record in 2019, registering only one goal and two assists last season.
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Pépé’s disastrous time at The Emirates has meant that some fans have probably forgotten that he’s still even registered at the club. The Frenchman has been pushed out of contention by the likes of Emile Smith-Rowe, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Martinelli. Pépé was at times unplayable at Nice but has since become unrecognizable at Arsenal, and another downgrade will likely reflect the downturn his career has sadly taken.
3Isco: Current Rating: 82 Predicted Rating: 78
When he actually played games, Spanish maestro Isco had the potential to light up the pitch, such was the talent of the diminutive playmaker. The problem for Isco is that he hardly plays at all, meaning it’s very hard to continue justifying a rating of 82 for the game’s developers.
Isco truly was one of the shining stars of Spanish football five-or-so years ago, but he just hasn’t developed into the player so many hoped that he’d become. Outcast and out of form, even Isco can’t justify his current rating.
2Eden Hazard: Current Rating: 84 – Predicted Rating: 80
Eden Hazard has endured a torrid time at Real Madrid since joining the Spanish giants from Chelsea in 2019, struggling with fitness, form, and weight issues. His time in Spain has been about as disappointing as it gets and has tarnished the reputation of one of football’s most enigmatic yet brilliant talents.
Hazard spent most of last season out of action once again, either through injury, illness or thanks to simply not being picked to play, with young guns such as Vinícius Júnior, Federico Valverde, and Rodrigo all favored ahead of the Belgian megastar. Hazard has vowed to find his form once again, but right now, his numbers are in for a sharp decline.
1Ben Foster: Current Rating: 78 – Predicted Rating: 74
At 39 years of age, it was impressive thatveteran keeperBen Foster was still turning out for a Premier League side, even if Watford’s campaign didn’t exactly go the way that many fans hoped it would. Watford endured a torrid season last year, ending up relegated from the top flight without so much as a whimper.
Foster has since ended his time at the Hertfordshire club, and, approaching 40, it’s tough to see where he might go next. Whatever happens, Foster is a quiet legend of the game, but it would be exceedingly unlikely to see him retain his current 78 rating at this stage.
FIFA 23is currently being developed for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
