Will Barcelona's Lionel Messi or Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo take the top spot?
(L-R) Eden Hazard, Anthony Martial, Marco Reus and James Rodriguez – the Fifa 17 ambassadors (EA)
The latest entry in EA's insanely popular football game series is only a few weeks away, with Fifa 17 set to launch worldwide on 29 September for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. As the anticipation grows fevered among footy fans, EA Sports has begun its yearly countdown of the top 50 players in the game based on their individual ratings.
Fifa 17 is set to feature significant changes from previous entries, with set pieces, a real-time physics engine and overall AI improvements all earmarked as key, alongside the headline-grabbing introduction of an RPG-lite story mode called The Journey.
Additions aside, die-hard Fifa fans on the lookout for the very best players to dominate the online arena in Fifa 17's Ultimate Team mode need look no longer. Based on real-life player performances over the last 365 days in league and cup competitions, EA Sports has released the first batch of player ratings, with the rest following ahead of the game's release.
Below, we've put together a list of all the player ratings revealed so far – which currently spans from 50-31 – and will update it as more are added. Who has made the cut from your favourite team, and which player will take the coveted top spot?
50. Blaise Matuidi - Paris Saint-Germain
Overall rating: 86
Position: CDM
49. Marcelo - Real Madrid
Overall rating: 86
Position: LB
48. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - Borussia Dortmund
Overall rating: 86
Position: Striker
47. Dimitri Payet - West Ham United
Overall rating: 86
Position: LM
46. Arjen Robben - Bayern Munich
Overall rating: 87
Position: RM
45. James Rodríguez - Real Madrid
Overall rating: 87
Position: CAM
44. David Silva - Manchester City
Overall rating: 87
Position: CAM
43. Karim Benzema - Real Madrid
Overall rating: 87
Position: Striker
42. Arturo Vidal - Bayern Munich
Overall rating: 87
Position: CM
41. Sergio Busquets - Barcelona
Overall rating: 87
Position: CDM
40. Samir Handanović - Inter Milan
Overall rating: 87
Position: Goalkeeper
39. Mats Hummels - Bayern Munich
Overall rating: 87
Position: CB
38. Thomas Müller - Bayern Munich
Overall rating: 87
Position: CF
37. Ángel Di María - Paris Saint-Germain
Overall rating: 87
Position: RW
36. Alexis Sánchez - Arsenal
Overall rating: 87
Position: LW
35. Ivan Rakitić - Barcelona
Overall rating: 87
Position: CM
34. Jan Oblak - Atletico Madrid
Overall rating: 87
Position: Goalkeeper
33. Leonardo Bonnuci - Juventus
Overall rating: 87
Position: CB
32. David Alaba - Bayern Munich
Overall rating: 87
Position: LB
31. Hugo Lloris - Tottenham
Overall rating: 88
Position: Goalkeeper
An early look at more-detailed stats for Fifa 17's top 50 players can be found on EA Sports' official website.