EA has recently released the ratings of the top 23 players in the upcoming FIFA 23, which is set to be the last FIFA game to be developed by EA after the company and FIFA failed to reach a licensing agreement. FIFA has announced that their series will continue, while EA has announced a new IP titled EA Sports FC.
As anyone even remotely interested in the FIFA series knows, the game's ratings almost always cause quite a stir. This used to be purely because of fans wanting to see their favorite players rated as highly as possible and often disagreeing with some other ratings too, but now, there's also the added factor of Ultimate Team, which has made many people take the game more seriously than ever before.
When building an Ultimate Team, the striker position is one of the first that many people think of. Thanks to EA releasing a handful of the highest ratings, we now know the six best strikers in the game.
6 Erling Haaland - 88
Erling Haaland's move to champions of England Manchester City was a real show of force, as he is considered by many to be among the best strikers in the world at the age of just 22 - a statement that EA clearly agrees with. There were some question marks over whether Haaland could replicate his incredible goalscoring form in the English Premier League, which is considered to be the toughest league in the world. Although Haaland's Manchester City career is still in its infancy, the Norwegian striker has already silenced many doubters by scoring 10 goals in his first 6 league games.
Haaland's devastating combination of speed and strength is reflected in his FIFA card, which will make the striker a nightmare to defend against. Except to pay huge money for the Norwegian striker in FIFA 23's Ultimate Team mode.
5 Harry Kane - 89
It wasn't long ago that English striker Harry Kane looked set to join Manchester City from Tottenham Hotspur, which would have likely meant that Haaland didn't join Pep Guardiola's side in the recent transfer window. Kane almost certainly would have been a success at City, as his excellent positioning, hold-up play, passing, aerial ability, and, of course, finishing ability with either foot would make him a star player for any side. Harry Kane stayed at Tottenham, though, and has his sights set on Alan Shearer's Premier League record of 260 goals, a target that many believe Kane will one day hit.
Harry Kane usually isn't too expensive in FIFA games due to his lack of pace. However, his world-class finishing ability makes him a tempting choice for any Ultimate Team.
4 Cristiano Ronaldo - 90
Yet another striker who Manchester City tried to sign recently is Cristiano Ronaldo, who looked set to be a late replacement for Kane when Spurs rejected City's final offer. However, City's local rivals Manchester United swooped in to sign their former player from Juventus, with the deal eventually completing on transfer deadline day; a dramatic end to the window for sure.
Ronaldo was 36 when he re-joined United but managed to score an impressive 18 goals in 30 games for a United side that struggled last season. However, there were question marks over whether Ronaldo's lack of work rate hurt United last season, a question that has been brought into this season too, especially with Ronaldo spending most of his time on the bench so far under new manager Ten Hag. Despite this, Ronaldo is still deadly in the box, which is reflected in his attributes in the upcoming game. Still, FIFA 23's base Ronaldo card will likely be his cheapest ever.
3 Kylian Mbappe - 91
The summer transfer window was packed with fascinating rumors and reports, with many people calling in the most exciting window ever. One of the transfer window's most interesting and surprising stories involved Kylian Mbappe. It seemed inevitable that the PSG star would be making his way to Madrid as a free agent once his contract expired. However, the Paris-based side had other ideas and offered the striker an astronomical wage to stay and, according to some sources, even gave Mbappe some power in the club's decision-making.
It's not hard to see why PSG were so desperate to keep Mbappe, as along with his star presence in France, the striker also draws comparisons to Brazil legend Ronaldo with his devastating pace and finishing ability that make him virtually impossible to defend against when he's on his game.
These attributes are reflected in his FIFA card, most notably his near-maxed out 97 Acceleration and Sprint Speed that will make him the first choice for many in FIFA 23 if pace is as anywhere near as important as it usually is in EA's games. Mbappe is one of three strikers on a 91 rating this year, which is also the highest rating in the entire game.
2 Robert Lewandowski - 91
Robert Lewandowski, like the aforementioned Haaland, has proved "Bundesliga tax" doubters wrong so far with his excellent start to life at Spanish giants Barcelona. The Spanish side had one of the most exciting, bizarre, and controversial summer transfer windows in history, with the side selling assets to sign top-class players, despite being in financial trouble.
Robert Lewandowski has been one of the world's best strikers for many years now, a level of quality that he has retained in his early 30s. Like Harry Kane, Lewandowski's lack of pace compared to the game's other top strikers may make him a more cost-effective option, although he certainly won't be cheap.
1 Karim Benzema - 91
There aren't many people who would have predicted that Karim Benzema would one day be rated higher in a FIFA game than his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, even with Benezma being younger. However, the French striker has flourished in his 30s, to the point where he is the heavy favorite for this year's Ballon D'or award.
Benzema's joint-highest rated card in this year's game is fully deserved and a good example of the fact that not all players peak around the same age, especially if they can keep up their fitness levels into their 30s as Benzema has.
FIFA 23 is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, Nintendo Switch, and PC.