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Why nobody wants to sign Ronaldo on a free transfer (1:17)

Mark explains why clubs aren't showing interest in taking the Man United star. I think it's 1:14.

8:30 AM ET

Football Manager 23 has a comprehensive list of the top-rated players in the latest version of the simulation franchise, which will cause hours to be lost again after this week's release.

Every player in the game's database is given a rating from 1 to 200 for their current ability and potential ability. PA governs how much better players could become under your management and CA is the attribute assigned to any given player who dictates how good they are at the moment.

The players with the highest ratings in the game make for an interesting read. The top spot in the game is only nine points away from the rest of the top 10.

Some of the big names are closer to the bottom of the list than you would think. The main thing is here.

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All hail King Kevin

The highest rated player in Football Manager 23 is Kevin De Bruyne. Kylian Mbappe is in second place with a CA of 186, one point behind the Manchester City player.

Top 10 full of talent

Robert Lewandowski finished the podium thanks to his CA value. Erling Haaland, who won the Ballon d'Or, is one of three superstars who have a CA of 185 or higher.

Next up is Harry Kane, followed by Virgil van Dijk and Thibaut Courtois. Lionel Messi, who won the Ballon d'Or seven times, has a CA of 180.

Cristiano clinging on

If you want to find your hero, you'll have to go down the ranking. The Manchester United forward only made it into the top 100 due to his low CA value.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is among a group of players who have the same CA rating.

The club's destiny is in your hands... 👀

Build something special in #FM23 - out now across platforms! 🙌

Play it now ⤵️

— Manchester City (@ManCity) November 8, 2022

City stacked with stars

The reigning premier league champions, Man City, have more players with a CA rating of 158 or more than any other side in the competition.

There are 14 players on City's list between De Bruyne at the top and RIYAD MAHREEZ in the joint 83rd position.

Defending European champion Real Madrid are next with 11 players, followed by reigning European champion Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Barcelona with 10 players each.

Manchester City (14) Chelsea (11) Real Madrid (10) Paris Saint-Germain (10) Bayern Munich (10) Liverpool (9) Barcelona (8)

Atletico Madrid (5)


Inter Milan (5) Manchester United (5)

AC Milan (3)


Arsenal (3)
Tottenham Hotspur (3)
Juventus (2)
Lazio (2)
AS Roma (1)
Benfica (1)
Borussia Dortmund (1)
FC Porto (1)
RB Leipzig (1)
Real Sociedad (1)
Valencia (1)
West Ham United (1)

Premier League rules Europe

Most of the players in the elite group play for clubs in one of the "big five" European leagues, with the exception of two who play for Porto and Benfica.

Seven of the top 10 clubs in the world are in the English premier league. West Ham can boast that their lone representative is level-pegging with the highest-ranked player in the team, and they can also point to the fact that they have the highest ranked player in the team.

Spain's LaLiga and Italy's Serie A both have five clubs each represented in the Top 100 while France's Ligue 1 only has one club on the list.

Premier League (7 clubs) Serie A (5) LaLiga (5) Bundesliga (3) Primeira Liga (2)

Ligue 1 (1)