FIFA 23 PS5 PS4

EA Sports has announced the official player ratings for its highest-rated Gold Cards in FIFA 23, and the top 23 make for some interesting reading. The usual stalwarts Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo no longer lead the pack, both slipping down the rankings by a significant chunk. Manchester United's bench warmer falls the hardest, landing in eighth. Messi retains some dignity in fifth, but the legends of the game have now been replaced at the top.

Real Madrid's Karim Benzema — hot off a phenomenal goal-scoring year — jumps a whopping 13 places into the top spot. He's followed closely by Barcelona's new recruit Robert Lewandowski, and Kylian Mbappé and Kevin De Bruyne take third and fourth respectively.

Here's the top 23 in full, along with the new player ratings:

  1. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) — 91
  2. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) - 91
  3. Kylian Mbappé (PSG) — 91
  4. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) — 91
  5. Lionel Messi (PSG) — 91
  6. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) — 90
  7. Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool) — 90
  8. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) — 90
  9. Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) — 90
  10. Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) — 90
  11. Neymar Jr (PSG) — 89
  12. Heung Min Son (Tottenham Hotspur) — 89
  13. Sadio Mané (Bayern Munich) — 89
  14. Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich) — 89
  15. Casemiro (Manchester United) — 89
  16. Alisson (Liverpool) — 89
  17. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) — 89
  18. Ederson (Manchester City) — 89
  19. N'Golo Kanté (Chelsea) — 89
  20. Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid) — 89
  21. Erling Haaland (Manchester City) — 88
  22. Toni Kroos (Real Madrid) — 88
  23. Marquinhos (PSG) — 88

Of course, while these are the highest-rated players at the start of the game, that doesn't necessarily mean they'll be the ones you always come across in Ultimate Team. Depending on the meta, some of these cards may not be usable while other players in the lower 80s are considered essential. Nevertheless, these are the cards many FIFA 23 players will be yearning for. When the game launches for PS5 and PS4 on 30th September 2022, at least.

Which cards will you want to add to your squad? Start putting your starting 11 together in the comments below.

[source ea.com]