The release of FIFA 23 is just around the corner, and while the game is not available just yet, we have been given a look at all of the player ratings in the game.
The ranking of the best players on each FIFA title always causes plenty of debate, with Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe, and Kevin De Bruyne all sharing the top spot on this occasion.
Of course, we weren't expecting to see any Irish names near the top of that list. Unfortunately, we do not possess any of the elite talents in the game at the moment.
In saying that, we would have hoped that we would have fared a bit better than this.
Irish Player Ratings In FIFA 23
While Roy Keane and Robbie Keane have been given fairly tasty icon and hero cards respectively, the standing of the current squad in FIFA 23 makes for fairly grim reading.
READ HERE: FIFA 23: Ted Lasso And AFC Richmond Set To Feature
Matt Doherty retains his place as the top Irish player in the game, although his overall rating has dropped from 78 to 77. In better news, both Nathan Collins and Josh Cullen have seen sizeable upgrades in their rating, now sitting at 75 overall. Seamus Coleman is the only player from Ireland to receive a gold card in this year's game.
Here is a list of the top 20 Irish players in FIFA 23.
- Matt Doherty (Tottenham Hotspur) - 77 OVR
- Seamus Coleman (Everton) - 76 OVR
- Nathan Collins (Wolves) - 75 OVR
- Josh Cullen (Burnley) - 75 OVR
- Shane Duffy (Fulham) - 74 OVR
- John Egan (Sheffield United) - 74 OVR
- Darren Randolph (West Ham) - 73 OVR
- Darragh Lenihan (Middlesbrough) - 73 OVR
- Mark Travers (Bournemouth) - 73 OVR
- Caoimhín Kelleher (Liverpool) - 73 OVR
- Ciaran Clark (Sheffield United) - 72 OVR
- Conor Hourihane (Derby County) - 72 OVR
- Alan Browne (Preston North End) - 72 OVR
- Shane Long (Reading) - 71 OVR
- Enda Stevens (Sheffield United) - 71 OVR
- Kevin Long (Burnley) - 71 OVR
- Jeff Hendrick (Reading) - 71 OVR
- Ryan Manning (Swansea City) - 71 OVR
- Dara O'Shea (West Brom) - 71 OVR
- David McGoldrick (Derby County) - 71 OVR
Other notable ratings include Michael Obafemi, Gavin Bazunu, and Robbie Brady at 70 OVR, with James McClean, Chiedozie Ogbene, and Jason Knight at 69 OVR,
Adam Idah and Andrew Omobamidele are one further back at 68 OVR, while Jayson Molumby and Troy Parrott are at 67 OVR and 66 OVR respectively.
Unfortunately, quite a few players on that list have seen their ratings drop by sizeable amounts in the last couple of years. The likes of Shane Duffy, John Egan, Enda Stevens, Robbie Brady, Jeff Hendrick, and Ciaran Clark have all had gold player items in recent versions of FIFA.
READ HERE: A Great Tradition Has Been Upheld In The FIFA 23 Ratings
Some of the ratings for younger players also seem incredibly harsh. Gavin Bazunu not being in the top 20 Irish players is a farce, while Chiedozie Ogbene, Troy Parrott, Adam Idah, and Andrew Omobamidele deserve a rating well above 70.
FIFA can be notoriously slow to increase the quality of younger players, especially those operating outside the very top clubs. Here's hoping for a brighter outlook in FIFA 24.
It's certainly unlikely that we will ever be able to match the benchmark that we set in FIFA 2005.