Cristiano Ronaldo Could Become the 12th Man In EA FC24 Team of the Year Despite A Massive Downgrade In Ratings

2023 was a massive year for soccer, with major happenings throughout the year. Players across the world put on some of the best performances of their careers. Videogame pioneer EA will release their Team of the Year later this week, with players across the world competing for just eleven spots. While some names might have missed making the last cut, they might still feature on the team. Al Nassr skipper Cristiano Ronaldo has continued to deliver on the top of his game and could feature in the coveted list, albeit as a 12th man because of a drop in ratings.

Cristiano who reportedly missed out on making the final eleven could be a part of FC24‘s TOTY, with the player expected to compete against Real Madrid‘s Federico Valverde and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold for the 12th-man position. Fans will vote for their pick of the three names, and with a massive fan following, Cristiano could very well be a part of the team despite his in-game rating taking a massive dip.

Can Cristiano Ronaldo make the cut?

There has been a lot of hype surrounding FC24’s upcoming Team of the Year. While names such as Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé look set to make the last cut, Al Nassr skipper Cristiano Ronaldo might have to settle as the 12th man. However, the Portuguese star is not the only contender for the position, with Federico Valverde and Trent Alexander-Arnold also vying for the spot.

While both Valverde and Trent had a great season with their respective sides, Cristiano surely had a comparatively impressive run of his own. The player finished as the top scorer in the calendar year, bagging 54 goals to his name.

READ MORE: Luis Castro Admits Cristiano Ronaldo Struggled Mentally Due To “Some Events” Before Finding Joy Again at Al Nassr

However, some would question his quality in the Saudi Pro League when put against LaLiga and the Premier League. It’s not good enough reason to snub the year’s top scorer from making it into the Team of the Year. With the final decision resting with fans, Cristiano has a huge edge over his competitors owing to his massive fan following around the world. However, that same edge has been missing from the player’s in-game performance.

Ronaldo’s in-game ratings tanked after Al Nassr move

The Portuguese superstar for the vast majority of his career has been amongst the cream of the crop across any soccer video game. Cristiano is usually among the top-rated players in the game. However, a poor showing throughout 2022 and his move to Al Nassr had a massive ripple effect on his in-game rating on EA’s latest title, FC24.

The Al Nassr skipper who was rated 90 on FIFA23 saw a drop in ratings, with the player dropping to 86. Cristiano was not the only player who saw their rating tank after a move to the Saudi Pro League. The likes of Jordan Henderson, N’Golo Kante, and Sadio Mane also saw a dip in the ratings with EA shaving three points off their old ratings.

Do you think Cristiano Ronaldo deserves to be a part of FC24’s Team of the Year? Let us know in the comments below.

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