The 11 highest-rated Saudi Pro League players on EA FC 25: Ronaldo, Neymar, Benzema…
EA FC 25 will be released on 20th September, so it’s that time of year when club social media managers shove a giant cardboard version of players’ ratings cards at them and ask them to react to their various attributes. We are just days away from Jamie Vardy smashing up his card because his pace isn’t high enough.
We’re shifting our attention to the Saudi Pro League in this season’s iteration of the game, with plenty of high-profile players making the move to the Middle East. Will Cristiano Ronaldo haemorrhage ratings points after a year at his Saudi retirement home? Is he even the highest-rated player in the Pro League?
We’ve picked out the 11 highest-rated players in the Saudi Pro League to take a closer look at the Saudi-based ballers coming to an Ultimate Team near you soon.
11. Yassine Bounou: 84
Pretty sure this keeper’s name is very nearly an anagram of Yossi Benayoun but we’re on a tight schedule today so figuring that out can be your homework.
He signed for Al Hilal from Sevilla in 2023, and he goes by the name Bono. If Al Hilal have anything about them, they’ll call their best defender The Edge. Ask your dad if you don’t get that one.
Anyway, this is actually a downgrade of one for the Moroccan keeper, from his 85 rating in EA FC 24.
=8. Kalidou Koulibaly: 84
Koulibaly is at Al-Hilal these days, alongside Bono. So, as we discussed earlier, we will be referring to Kalidou Koulibaly as ‘The Edge’ henceforth.
The now 33-year-old Ivorian centre-back struggled during his one season at Chelsea, after making a huge name for himself at Napoli, and is embarking upon his second season in the Saudi Pro League.
We think the ratings setters have been a little kind to The Edge, all things considered — 84 is a strong rating.
=8. Ruben Neves: 84
Al-Hilal are straight-up dominating these ratings so far. Former Wolves and Porto midfield sprayer of long passes and scorer of worldies Ruben Neves joined the club around the same time as Bono and The Edge, and holds onto his 84 rating from last year.
Neves is considerably younger than many of the players who joined the Saudi Pro League last year—still just 27—and is still a Portugal regular in 2024. This rating seems about right to us.
=8. Sadio Mane: 84
Mane’s highest FIFA rating came in 2021 when his base card was a whopping 90. Since then, and since he gave Leroy Sane a big old bunch of fives, his ratings have been gradually decreasing.
Now in his second year with Al Nassr, the Senegalese legend has been given a rating of 84 overall.
=5. N’golo Kante: 85
The one-man battery pack from Paris proved he’s still absolutely mustard over the summer when he turned up for France at the Euros.
Same old Kante, simply being everywhere, recovering possession, and driving his team up the pitch. One of the best ever to do it, for our money.
The midfielder drops one rating point from last year’s game. Heresy, we say. Al Ittihad’s midfield V12 engine is still just as good as he ever was. Give him his extra point back.
READ NEXT: 7 players you had no idea moved to the Saudi Pro League this summer
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name Real Madrid’s top ‘not Cristiano Ronaldo’ scorer every season since 2000?
=5. Riyad Mahrez: 85
Mahrez had exactly the same FIFA rating for three iterations of the game in a row between 2020 and 2023. That’s despite the decrease in the billboard stats marked on the card. He must’ve been making up for it elsewhere. Got better at jumping or slide tackling or something.
This season, however, the Algerian’s rating has decreased from 86 to 85. Clearly, the EA FC scouts think he’s losing his edge at Al Ahli. You hate to see it.
=5. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic: 85
Serbia and Lazio legend Milinkovic-Savic hasn’t been rated under 85 since FIFA 18, and that’s not about to change. Ruben Neves’ midfield partner at Al Hilal maintains his high rating despite a year out of view of European eyes in Saudi Arabia.
Tell you what — Al Hilal have a hell of a spine to their squad…
=2. Joao Cancelo: 86
Guess who Joao Cancelo plays for these days… Yes, that’s right—Al Hilal. There’s a strong argument to be made that they have the best squad outside of Europe, just saying… Actually, we take that back, We’d quite like to be able to travel to South America, one day.
The ex-Manchester City and Barcelona fullback-cum-central-midfielder signed for Al Hilal this summer, after reportedly not seeing eye-to-eye with Pep Guardiola.
=2. Karim Benzema: 86
Benzema joined Al Ittihad last season, playing in front of N’golo Kante, as he once did for the French national team. Having won the Ballon d’Or a year-and-a-half ago, it would’ve been a travesty if Karim the Dream had been ranked any lower than he is.
Sure, he may be in the process of winding things down a bit with his career having peaked a couple of years ago, but he’s still one of the best around.
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name Real Madrid’s top ‘not Cristiano Ronaldo’ scorer every season since 2000?
=2. Cristiano Ronaldo: 86
That’s right—Cristiano Ronaldo is not the highest-rated player in the Saudi Pro League and, silly as it is, we reckon that is going to kill him.
The Portuguese’s rating fell below 90 for the first time since FIFA ’11 last season, all the way down to 86, where it remains in EA FC 25. What will hurt even more is that you-know-who over in Miami is rated 88 in this year’s game. Ooft.
1. Neymar: 87
Introducing the Saudi Pro League’s highest-rated played in EA FC 25, Neymar Jr. That’s despite playing just five games last season due to injury. The Brazilian still tops Ronaldo, Benzema et al. according to the ratings setters.
The jewel in Al-Hilal’s crown despite the fact they won the league and the cup essentially without him last season. He should be back at some point this season, and the other Pro League teams will be quaking in their boots. Right, we’re off to start a career mode with Al Hilal.