Recognition of Karim Benzema’s extraordinary year has extended into the realm of video games after the Real Madrid striker was named the top-ranked player in EA Sports’ latest installment of FIFA 23.
The 34-year-old enjoyed the biggest jump in the rankings of the 23 players that were revealed Monday, moving up 13 places with a rating of 91 after he was rated 89 and ranked 14th last season.
In being crowned the highest-ranked player, Benzema – who scored 44 goals last season and helped Real Madrid capture another Champions League title – becomes the first player outside of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to finish atop the FIFA rankings since 2008.
After finishing first last season, Messi fell to fifth in the new edition of the wildly popular video game, while Ronaldo fell five places down to eighth.
However, Harry Kane’s stock dropped the most as the Tottenham Hotspur star plummeted from eighth to 17th, while his rating fell by a point.
Additionally, new Bayern Munich star Sadio Mane was rewarded for another brilliant season at Liverpool by moving up nine places into 13th, while Thibaut Courtois was given the highest rank among goalkeepers.
FIFA 23 is scheduled to be available to purchase Sept. 27.
| Rank | Player | FIFA 23 Rating | ’22 rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) | 91 | 89 |
| 2 | Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) | 91 | 92 |
| 3 | Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain) | 91 | 91 |
| 4 | Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) | 91 | 91 |
| 5 | Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain) | 91 | 93 |
| 6 | Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) | 90 | 89 |
| 7 | Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) | 90 | 89 |
| 8 | Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) | 90 | 91 |
| 9 | Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) | 90 | 89 |
| 10 | Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) | 90 | 89 |
| 11 | Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain) | 89 | 91 |
| 12 | Heung-Min Son (Tottenham) | 89 | 89 |
| 13 | Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich) | 89 | 89 |
| 14 | Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich) | 89 | 89 |
| 15 | Casemiro (Manchester United) | 89 | 89 |
| 16 | Alisson (Liverpool) | 89 | 89 |
| 17 | Harry Kane (Tottenham) | 89 | 90 |
| 18 | Ederson (Manchester City) | 89 | 89 |
| 19 | N’Golo Kante (Chelsea) | 89 | 90 |
| 20 | Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid) | 89 | 91 |
| 21 | Erling Haaland (Manchester City) | 88 | 88 |
| 22 | Toni Kroos (Real Madrid) | 88 | 88 |
| 23 | Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain) | 88 | 87 |