FIFA 21: Five players who suffered big downgrades in their ratings

Some footballers have been severely pushed back in terms of their overall stats in the game.

Electronic Sports (EA) are set to release the next instalment in the long-running FIFA franchise in FIFA 21. The game is slated for an 8 October 2020 release and will become the first game in the franchise which will also be released on the next-gen consoles like PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X along with platforms like PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One series.

In preparation for the launch of the highly anticipated game, EA are releasing player ratings every day from the game, which is turning a lot of heads and generating a lot of discussions. Like every release, fans of the game are eagerly monitoring their favourite players’ ratings, if they have been downgraded or upgraded from FIFA 20.

Recently, EA released the top 100 rated players from FIFA 21 and we have compiled a list of five of the most notable players which have been downgraded by EA in terms of their overall ratings as of yet, which has not gone down well with many sets of fans.

Luka Modric - 87 from 90

FIFA World Cup 2018 finalist and Ballon D’or winner, Luka Modric has been downgraded by EA by three points in FIFA 21. Fair to say that Modric did not have a stellar season, which is symbolic of Real Madrid, but the Croatian did win the Spanish La Liga with the club.

Many fans have argued that the downgrade is unfair as Modric still remains a top midfielder and a three points drop is too harsh. Nevertheless, even at 87 overall rating, Luka Modric remains a very strong midfield option with sensational passing stats.

Eden Hazard - 88 from 91

FIFA 20’s cover star, Eden Hazard has been stuck with the cover star curse. The Belgian has received a three-point downgrade after completing an underwhelming first season at Real Madrid CF.

The 29-year-old’s first taste of the La Liga was marred by injuries and fitness concerns, which heavily limited his game time. Hazard only managed one goal and six assists in 16 league appearances.

David De Gea - 86 from 89

David De Gea has also received a three point downgrade in his overall rating which takes him from 89 to 86. People felt that a downgrade was in the offing due to several individual errors that the Spaniard made in the previous campaign that caused a lot of damage to Manchester United’s league and cup performances.

However, a three-point downgrade might be a little too harsh as De Gea was a crucial factor in United keeping 13 clean sheets in 38 league games.

Gareth Bale - 83 from 85

It is no surprise that Gareth Bale has received a downgrade because of the lack of game time he has collected in the last season due to the tussle between him and Real Madrid. Zinedine Zidane has completely excluded the Welshman from his plans with the winger now playing golf more than football itself.

Although, prior to his ratings being confirmed, the rumours were afloat around social media that Gareth Bale will be rated at 79 overall, which would have been almost disrespectful to Bale who still remains a world-class player.

Jesse Lingard - 78 from 82

Jesse Lingard almost finished the whole of last season’s league campaign without registering a single goal or assist if it was not for his goal against Leicester City in practically the last minute of the game and the season. The Englishman has seen himself fall out of favour from the squad after several underwhelming performances.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does not trust him as a starter anymore and the lack of gametime has seen his overall rating fall down by a massive four points. Rumours have also suggested that Lingard might be on his way out of his boyhood club to reignite his career elsewhere.

With more player ratings being released everyday by EA, it will be interesting to see how many more players get downgraded from the previous edition. Several other players like Marco Reus (85 from 88) and Christian Eriksen (85 from 88) among others have also been downgraded by EA in FIFA 21.

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