FIFA 23 ratings: Five players who can replace Lionel Messi as king

Kylian Mbappe 92 (+1)

I’ll go on record saying that as long as Kylian Mbappe plays in Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain, he will be doing both himself and his FIFA rating a disservice. I would love for FIFA to place Kylian Mbappe in the 93 range for his rating, but his lack of success in the Champions League is only going to continue to hurt him.

But his numbers say it all: PSG is his team, not Messi’s, and not Neymar’s. Providing 28 goals and 17 assists in 35 Ligue 1 matches just continues his sustained success in France’s domestic league. His performance in the Champions League also proved impressive with 6 goals in 8 matches. Mbappe has proven himself as one of the most indispensable players in football, and he’ll mean more to your ultimate team than Lionel Messi at this point.

Mohamed Salah – 91 (+2)

Being rated 89 in FIFA 22 didn’t do justice to how important Mohamed Salah has been to Liverpool over the past few seasons. Scoring 23 goals and providing 13 assists in 35 Premier League appearances, as well as providing 8 crucial goals for Liverpool in the Champions League. He continues being the most dominant player for his club and country, and has earned his way into the upper echelons of FIFA ratings.

I feel like I’m lowballing a 91 for Salah here, but I can’t imagine FIFA giving him anything higher than that. Just imagine having both Salah and de Bruyne on your Ultimate Team. I could make do with any striker at that point with their incredible passing and finishing abilities. Salah is one of the world’s best players. As Messi and Ronaldo wane and Salah enters his prime, he clearly would be more important to have than either of them.