The Best FIFA 21 Players

If you’re looking to put together an unstoppable Ultimate Team, you’re likely on the lookout for the best players in FIFA 21. Figuring out which footballers have the top in-game statistics can help you plan out your transfer market trades and create optimistic concept squads for the future of your virtual club. It also means you can pin down the players you need in the transfer window when you kick off your Career Mode.

We’re going to run through the statistics behind the top 100 players in the game, with context added for the top 10 footballers. Follow along with our handy guide to figure out how your favourite player stacks up against the competition.

Here are the top 100 players in FIFA 21.

1 Lionel Messi

OVR 93 / RW / PAC 85 / SHO 92 / PAS 91 / DRI 95 / DEF 38 / PHY 65  

• 4 Star Skill Moves
• 4 Star Weak Foot

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi is one of the most revered players in professional football, and as a result, the Argentine winger stands tall as the top-rated player in FIFA 21. Messi maintains the throne after leapfrogging Cristiano Ronaldo to clinch the top spot in FIFA 20. Messi is devastating in front of goal with his 92 Shooting stat and makes short work of defenders with a remarkable 95 in Dribbling. His four-star skill moves complement his blistering pace, allowing him to outwit defenders in front of goal and score goals with flair and finesse. Given his legendary status, Messi is incredibly expensive in Ultimate Team, so start saving early and pray the pack gods favour you!

2 Cristiano Ronaldo

OVR 92 / ST / PAC 89 / SHO 93 / PAS 81 / DRI 89 / DEF 35 / PHY 77  

• 5 Star Skill Moves
• 4 Star Weak Foot

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo takes spot two in the top 100 once again this year, as the striker takes a minor knock to his Pace, dropping from 90 Pace to 89, dragging his overall rating down to 92 from 93. Meanwhile, his Physical stat has been raised to 78, and his Passing stat has been totted up to 82. With his 5-star skill moves and incredible free-kick capabilities, Ronaldo is an absolute monster on the pitch even as he gets older. The striker still plays for Piemonte Calcio in FIFA 21, as EA is yet to reclaim the rights to Serie A team Juventus. His greater physicality allows him to press through defences and score goals with style.

3 Robert Lewandowski

OVR 91 / ST / PAC 78 / SHO 91/ PAS 78 / DRI 86 / DEF 43 / PHY 82  

• 4 Star Skill Moves
• 4 Star Weak Foot

Polish striker Robert Lewandowski takes third place this year, a significant leap from FIFA 20 where he took place 15 in the top 100. Lewandowksi plays upfront for Bayern Munich and has an incredible attacking work rate, which is complemented by his deadly 91 Shooting stat. With 82 in Physical and a handy 86 Dribbling, Lewandowski is a workhorse and a significant threat for slow defenders trying to pin him down in the box. He’s not as fast as many of his contemporaries this far up the board, but his strength is unmatched, so if you’re looking for raw power, get this guy on your Transfer Target list.

4 Kevin De Bruyne

OVR 91 / CAM / PAC 76 / SHO 86 / PAS 93 / DRI 88 / DEF 64 / PHY 78  

• 4 Star Skill Moves
• 5 Star Weak Foot

Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne is a deadly midfielder with the best Passing stat in the game at 93. If you need a player who can set up strikers with deadly precision while also being able to put away goals on his own terms, De Bruyne is your man. The Belgian beast also has a five-star Weak Foot skill, meaning he can strike with confidence with his left foot as well as his right. His 86 Shooting stat and 91 Long Shots stat means that you can fire at the keeper from outside the box and still have a good chance of scoring when you’re not embarrassing defenders with his 88 Dribbling stat.

5 Neymar Jr

OVR 91 / LW / PAC 91 / SHO 85 / PAS 86 / DRI 94 / DEF 36 / PHY 59

• 5 Star Skill Moves
• 5 Star Weak Foot

Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar Jr. has slipped to fifth place from third in the official rankings since FIFA 20, but that doesn’t mean he’s any less dangerous on the left-wing. The Brazilian attacker has 96 Agility and 94 Dribbling, which work well with his five-star skill moves to make him incredibly hard to dispossess when he’s on the approach. If you make use of FIFA 21’s Agile Dribbling system, Neymar Jr should be on your hit list. His physicality isn’t much to shout home about, but with 80+ stats in Passing and Shooting and 91 Pace, Neymar is still one of the most dangerous players in the game.

6 Jan Oblak

OVR 91 / GK / DIV 87 / HAN 92 / KIC 78 / REF 90 / SPE 50 / POS 90  

• 1 Star Skill Moves
• 3 Star Weak Foot

Simply put, Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak is the best goalkeeper in FIFA 21. The Slovenian shot-saver boasts a 92 Handling stat and a 90 in Reflexes, so he can pounce about the net in a catlike fashion, keeping goals out as the last line of defence for your team. With 90 Positioning, you can rely on Oblak to adapt to set pieces and move into space to stop the ball. Given his status, Oblak is extremely expensive in Ultimate Team, so definitely someone to save for if you can’t put up with shoddy goalkeeping.

7 Virgil Van Dijk

OVR 90 / CB / PAC 76 / SHO 60 / PAS 71 / DRI 72 / DEF 91 / PHY 86  

• 2 Star Skill Moves
• 3 Star Weak Foot

Much like Oblak, Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk is the best player in his class, with the centre back boasting the top Defending skill in FIFA 21 at 91. With 86 Physical and 76 Pace to back that up, you can rely on Van Dijk to stop counter-attacks and use his 93 Marking stat to protect the goal at all costs. With solid stats in Interceptions and a surprising amount of Shot Power, Van Dijk makes for a formidable defender with enough ability to knock in an open goal if necessary, if your primary attack fails.

8 Kylian Mbappe

OVR 90 / ST / PAC 96 / SHO 86 / PAS 78 / DRI 91 / DEF 39 / PHY 76  

• 5 Star Skill Moves
• 4 Star Weak Foot

French wunderkind Mbappe is the cover star of FIFA 21 and comfortably makes his way into the top 10 with stellar skills such as a blistering 96 Pace. With tremendous acceleration, Mbappe is arguably the most agile striker in the game, with a high attacking work rate and five-star skills to beat defenders when he decides to slow his roll, use his 91 Dribbling and shoot. His fantastic stamina stat will also help him persist throughout long matches, and his affinity for volleys make the Paris Saint-Germain striker a force of nature up-front. Just watch out for his less-than-subtle price tag.

9 Mohamed Salah

OVR 90 / RW / PAC 93 / SHO 86 / PAS 81 / DRI 90 / DEF 45 / PHY 75  

• 4 Star Skill Moves
• 3 Star Weak Foot

Salah is another attacking behemoth with a high work rate and vital Pace stat at 93. The winger has powerful stats across the board, with a handy 75 in Physical giving him the power to push past defenders and muscle his way into a goal-scoring position. With a brilliant 92 in Reactions, 94 Acceleration and 91 Finishing, Salah is extremely dangerous in one-on-one situations with the keeper but leverages his 81 Passing stat to be able to set up a striker with ease too. Salah’s versatile stats prop him up as the second-best Right Winger in the game just behind Messi, making him highly sought-after in Ultimate Team.

10 Sadio Mane

OVR 90 / LW / PAC 94 / SHO 85 / PAS 80 / DRI 90 / DEF 44 / PHY 76  

• 4 Star Skill Moves
• 4 Star Weak Foot

Liverpool’s Mane has deservedly cracked the top 10 this year and offers some staggering stats including 94 Pace and 90 Dribbling. He’s a perfect complement to Salah on the Left Wing due to their similar statistics, but pips him with a few critical stats, like his four-star Weak Foot, 84 Shot Power and 84 Heading Accuracy. With a high work rate and a deadly right foot, Mane is perfect for leaving defenders in the dust during a hard-fought counter-attack and should be a top priority for players with teams in the 4-3-3 formation.

FIFA 21 Player Ratings 11-100

• 11 - Marc-Andre Ter Stegen OVR 90 / GK / 90 88 85 88 90 43 88

• 12 - Alisson / OVR 90 / GK / 86 88 85 89 52 91

• 13 - Sergio Ramos / OVR 89 / CB / 71 70 76 74 88 85

• 14 - Manuel Neuer / OVR 89 / GK / 87 87 91 89 56 86

• 15 - Sergio Aguero / OVR 89 / ST / 78 90 77 88 33 73

• 16 - Karim Benzema / OVR 89 / CF / 74 85 81 87 40 76

• 17 - Casemiro / OVR 89 / CDM / 65 73 76 73 86 91

• 18 - Thibaut Courtois / OVR 89 / GK / 84 89 74 88 46 85

• 19 - Joshua Kimmich / OVR 88 / CDM / 71 72 86 84 81 79

• 20 - Toni Kroos / OVR 88 / CM / 54 81 91 81 71 69

• 21 - Harry Kane / OVR 88 / ST / 68 91 80 81 47 83

• 22 - Eden Hazard / OVR 88 / LW / 88 82 83 92 35 66

• 23 - Raheem Sterling / OVR 88 / LW / 93 81 79 90 45 67

• 24 - Paulo Dybala / OVR 88 / CF / 85 85 84 91 43 63

• 25 - Ederson / OVR 88 / GK / 86 82 93 88 64 86

• 26 - N’Golo Kante / OVR 88 / CDM / 77 66 76 81 86 82

• 27 - Samir Handanovic / OVR 88 / GK / 88 85 73 89 53 89

• 28 - Kalidou Koulibaly / OVR 88 / CB / 75 28 55 69 89 86

• 29 - Luka Modric / OVR 87 / CM / 73 76 89 88 71 66

• 30 - Ciro Immobile / OVR 87 / ST / 84 88 67 83 39 77

• 31 - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang / OVR 87 / ST / 93 86 75 81 38 69

• 32 - Bruno Fernandes / OVR 87 / CAM / 77 83 88 85 68 75

• 33 - Angel Di Maria / OVR 87 / RW / 83 81 85 87 48 68

• 34 - Jadon Sancho / OVR 87 / RM / 83 74 81 91 37 64

• 35 - Heung Min Son / OVR 87 / LM / 88 86 80 87 43 69

• 36 - Luis Suarez / OVR 87 / ST / 70 90 82 83 51 83

• 37 - Trent Alexander-Arnold / OVR 87 / RB / 80 66 87 80 80 71

• 38 - Antoine Griezmann / OVR 87 / ST / 79 85 84 88 57 72

• 39 - Aymeric Laporte / OVR 87 / CB / 63 50 72 69 88 81

• 40 - Wojciech Szczęsny / OVR 87 / GK / 86 82 73 88 49 87

• 41 - Roberto Firmino / OVR 87 / CF / 77 80 81 90 61 78

• 42 - Bernardo Silva / OVR 87 / RW / 81 77 83 92 51 67

• 43 - Andrew Robertson / OVR 87 / LB / 83 62 80 80 81 76

• 44 - Fabinho / OVR 87 / CDM / 67 69 79 77 85 83

• 45 - Keylor Navas / OVR 87 / GK / 90 81 75 90 54 82

• 46 - Sergio Busquets / OVR 87 / CDM / 42 62 80 81 83 77

• 47 - Giorgio Chiellini / OVR 87 / CB / 66 46 58 62 90 79

• 48 - Hugo Lloris / OVR 87 / GK / 89 82 68 90 64 84

• 49 - Thomas Muller / OVR 86 / CAM / 68 82 82 78 56 71

• 50 - Jamie Vardy / OVR 86 / ST / 88 85 66 79 55 75

• 51 - Paul Pogba / OVR 86 / CM / 73 81 86 85 66 85

• 52 - Marco Verratti / OVR 86 / CM / 64 60 85 90 79 67

• 53 - Pique / OVR 86 / CB / 57 61 71 69 86 80

• 54 - Alejandro Gomez / OVR 86 / CAM / 90 79 84 88 39 55

• 55 - Jordan Henderson / OVR 86 / CDM / 65 74 84 79 81 82

• 56 - Carvajal / OVR 86 / RB / 80 54 78 81 82 80

• 57 - Mats Hummels / OVR 86 / CB / 58 58 77 73 89 77

• 58 - David Silva / OVR 86 / CAM / 64 74 88 88 52 55

• 59 - De Gea / OVR 86 / GK / 88 81 78 89 57 82

• 60 - Raphael Varane / OVR 86 / CB / 82 49 64 65 87 82

• 61 - Jordi Alba / OVR 86 / LB / 88 69 81 83 78 72

• 62 - Yann Sommer / OVR 86 / GK / 80 86 85 85 50 87

• 63 - Serge Gnabry / OVR 85 / RM / 82 83 78 85 43 70

• 64 - Marquinhos / OVR 85 / CB / 72 41 73 71 87 78

• 65 - Romelu Lukaku / OVR 85 / ST / 81 83 76 75 38 84

• 66 - Thiago / OVR 85 / CM / 64 72 85 90 70 62

• 67 - Kai Havertz / OVR 85 / CAM / 84 81 79 85 45 67

• 68 - Luis Alberto / OVR 85 / CAM / 74 76 86 85 58 59

• 69 - Riyad Mahrez / OVR 85 / RW / 83 79 81 90 38 59

• 70 - Memphis Depay / OVR 85 / CF / 86 83 81 83 32 80

• 71 - Gianluigi Donnarumma / OVR 85 / GK / 89 81 76 89 49 83

• 72 - Hakim Ziyech / OVR 85 / CAM / 80 76 87 83 50 66

• 73 - Marco Reus / OVR 85 / CAM / 80 86 84 85 45 63

• 74 - Timo Werner / OVR 85 / ST / 91 85 69 84 35 71

• 75 - Sergej Milinkovic-Savic / OVR 85 / CM / 69 79 80 83 79 85

• 76 - Georginio Wijnaldum / OVR 85 / CM / 76 75 81 86 78 79

• 77 - Matthijs De Ligt / OVR 85 / CB / 72 59 66 69 85 84

• 78 - Thiago Silva / OVR 85 / CB / 59 54 72 72 86 78

• 79 - Ricardo Pereira / OVR 85 / RB / 83 66 79 82 81 76

• 80 - Lorenzo Insigne / OVR 85 / LW / 88 78 83 91 36 44

• 81 - Miralem Pjanic / OVR 85 / CM / 67 68 87 85 75 67

• 82 - Marcus Rashford / OVR 85 / LM / 91 83 78 85 45 78

• 83 - Leroy Sane / OVR 85 / LM / 93 81 79 85 38 67

• 84 - Parejo / OVR 85 / CM / 50 83 90 81 71 69

• 85 - Milan Skriniar / OVR 85 / CB / 69 41 59 66 87 81

• 86 - Koke / OVR 85 / CM / 67 75 85 81 76 80

• 87 - Dries Mertens / OVR 85 / CF / 86 82 80 89 35 51

• 88 - Bernd Leno / OVR 85 / GK / 85 83 80 86 55 84

• 89 - Clement Lenglet / OVR 85 / CB / 74 45 67 66 87 81

• 90 - Leonardo Bonucci / OVR 85 / CB / 60 58 69 71 87 77

• 91 - Frenkie De Jong / OVR 85 / CM / 80 64 84 87 76 77

• 92 - Rodri / OVR 85 / CDM / 65 68 77 77 82 80

• 93 - Peter Gulacsi / OVR 85 / GK / 84 85 82 86 43 84

• 94 - Toby Alderweireld / OVR 85 / CB / 63 55 72 68 87 79

• 95 - Diego Godin / OVR 85 / CB / 57 48 64 62 87 79

• 96 - Mauro Icardi / OVR 85 / ST / 73 85 65 78 36 68

• 97 - Kyle Walker / OVR 85 / CB / 92 63 76 77 80 82

• 98 - Alex Sandro / OVR 85 / LB / 81 65 77 80 81 81

• 99 - Christian Eriksen / OVR 85 / CAM / 72 81 88 82 53 63

• 100 - Erling Haaland / OVR 84 / ST / 84 87 63 76 43 85

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.