The top player ratings for FIFA titles usually don't get released until two or three weeks before the game's release date. However, football fans who want to get ahead of the pack and plan for their Ultimate Team squads can get a fairly good understanding of the cards they should invest in when FIFA 22 finally rolls around by taking a look back at the 2020/21 season and picking out the players who put in the best season-long performances.
Of course, stars such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar are certain picks for those who can afford them. Players looking to get an edge should seek out footballers who had an exceptionally good season last year, especially compared to the earlier years of their careers, since those are the kinds of athletes guaranteed to receive major stats boosts in FIFA 22.
10 Luke Shaw
The Manchester United left-back has had a tumultuous career, plagued by injuries, long periods of poor form, and an incredibly toxic relationship with the team's previous coach, Jose Mourinho. However, the English giants knew what they were doing when they shelled out 22 million euros for him back in 2014.
The English defender has more than proven his worth last season. He's put in astonishing performances week-in, week-out, which culminated in a fantastic Euro tournament, where he was the England national team's key player, helping them reach the final with extremely effective chance creation and pacey runs down the left flank. FIFA players can expect his overall rating to go up by a few points from the 82 base rating in FIFA 21.
9 Leonardo Bonucci
The Italian defender has formed an impenetrable partnership at the back with Giorgio Chiellini during this year's Euro 2020 tournament, proving to every football aficionado that age is just a number. He's also maintained a great performance level at Juventus, despite it being one of the worst seasons "the Old Lady" has had in years.
In FIFA 21, Bonucci boasted an already-high rating of 85, and given the fact that he was one of the main reasons why Italy won the Euros, EA will likely prop that overall rating up even higher. At 34 years old, he won't be the fastest player on the pitch in any team, but his defensive acumen makes him a more than worthy addition to any Serie A or Italian Ultimate Team squad.
8 Bruno Fernandes
The impact that Bruno Fernandes has had on Manchester United and their performances within the year and a half since he's arrived at the club is difficult to put into words. With 26 goals and 19 assists in just 51 Premier League appearances, the Portuguese midfielder has completely transformed United's efficiency in the final third.
Although in FIFA 21, he was already a valuable FUT asset with an 87 overall rating, his stats are bound to rise in FIFA 22, considering that 2020/21 was his first full season in a Manchester United jersey.
7 Gianluigi Donnarumma
As far as goalkeepers are concerned, Donnarumma is one of the most exciting young prospects to have graced the game in recent years. At just 21, he was named player of the tournament at Euro 2020 and was a key member of the AC Milan squad in Serie A last season. Rated 85 in FIFA 21, his rating is expected to go up by a few points in the next iteration of EA's wildly popular franchise.
After a hit transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, Donnarumma will join the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, hoping to take back the Ligue 1 trophy from Lille, who defied all odds by winning the French championship this May. He is simply a must-buy for anyone interested in building their Ultimate Team around the French first division players.
6 Robert Lewandowski
Some people may argue that Lewandowski's 2019/20 season was better than the most recent one. After all, back then, he's won the European Treble with Bayern Munich after being the top scorer in every single competition they won that year. However, it would be foolish to overlook the remarkable feat of beating Gerd Muller's 50-year-old Bundesliga scoring record.
No player in the history of the German top flight has scored more than the 41 goals Lewandowski has managed to get this year. This achievement alone is enough to warrant hiking up his overall rating to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's levels. Players will surely struggle to find a better center forward than the Polish star in FIFA 22.
5 Erling Haaland
With his sense of humor, no-nonsense approach to interviews, and impeccable goalscoring abilities, it is difficult not to like Erling Haaland, the Norwegian wonderboy. Thanks to his breakout 2019/20 season, he secured a transfer to Borussia Dortmund, where he continued to impress fans, teammates, and pundits.
Last season, he cemented his status as a top attacking player at only 21. Many experts predict that he and Kylian Mbappe will dominate the next decade much like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo did with the 2010s. Barring a career-threatening injury, it is safe to expect that his overall rating in FIFA games will continue to rise on an annual basis as he continues to break goalscoring records and silencing doubters.
4 İlkay Gündoğan
When Kevin De Bruyne got injured about halfway through last season with the verdict being that he'd be out of the game for months, it was up to Gündoğan to replace the Belgian star. While he was always rated as a solid squad player, not many at Manchester City thought that he'd start performing at De Bruyne's level almost instantly.
With some crucial goals scored throughout the season, Gündoğan helped "the Cityzens" win the Premier League in 2020/21, and when De Bruyne returned to fitness, he retained his spot alongside the Belgian as a regular in the English champion's starting lineup. FIFA fans should definitely be eyeing Gündoğan if they want to build a powerful Premier League side in FUT this fall.
3 Mason Mount
About halfway through last season, Frank Lampard, the manager who's introduced the then-20-year-old Mason Mount to Chelsea's starting lineup, got sacked by the club's owner. When Thomas Tuchel replaced him, many fans were worried that the inexperienced Mount would be relegated back to a bench-warming role.
Thankfully, that did not happen and the English wonderboy didn't only prove his worth as a valuable member of Chelsea's first eleven, he was also one of the architects of their Champions League success earlier this May. Without his creativity in the midfield, winning the most coveted trophy in European football would not have been possible.
2 Memphis Depay
Depay's career was full of ups and downs, much more so than most other footballers nowadays. In his late teens, he was heralded by many as the second coming of Cristiano Ronaldo. At 21, he completed a dream transfer move to Manchester United but failed to impress the English side, and after an uneventful two-year stint at United, he was given a chance to prove his worth at Olympique Lyon.
Throughout his four years in France, Depay has matured and improved as a footballer, improving his physique and becoming much less injury-prone than in the past. Thanks to his performances in Ligue 1, he's earned a move to FC Barcelona, where he can prove himself at the very top level once again in a kind of move that hardly ever goes unnoticed by FIFA developers. Buying Depay can introduce a new quality to any struggling La Liga-based FUT side.
1 N'Golo Kante
There isn't a football fan in the world who isn't familiar with N'Golo Kante and his happy demeanor. He's a humble, hard-working player, who always puts 100% of his effort for the good of the team. He doesn't enter risky dribbles, talk back to the referee, or do anything else to chase personal glory.
Although he's won the Premier League with Leicester City in 2016 and Chelsea in 2017, as well as the 2018 World Cup with France, Kante's abilities were hugely underrated. However, after the season he's had with his club in 2020/21, particularly the performance in the Champions League final, it's possible for the loveable Frenchman to finally achieve that well-deserved 90 overall ratings. Players on the lookout for a strong, yet agile holding midfielder who can also pick out a creative pass should look no further.