Ahead of the release of each edition of FIFA, football fans are usually able to predict who the highest-rated player will be.

When it came to FIFA 18, for example, it was pretty obvious Cristiano Ronaldo would top the pile having won the Champions League and Ballon d'Or.

Ronaldo was the highest-rated player on FIFA 17, too, but before then, Lionel Messi dominated when it came to ratings.

Having won the Ballon d'Or in five out of seven years between 2009 and 2015, it was inevitable the Argentine would come out on top on FIFA, usually with a rating in the mid-90s.

And before Messi it was Wayne Rooney and Ronaldinho who battled for top spot due to their success with Manchester United and Barcelona respectively.

However, it hasn't always been the case that the world's best player is rated highest on FIFA, as evidenced by who topped the ratings on FIFA 03.

Back in 2003, Italian midfielder Matteo Brighi was given a huge 97 rating by EA Sports - higher than the likes of Thierry Henry, Roberto Carlos and Ryan Giggs.

Only the biggest football fans will know who Brighi is, but he was once regarded as a hot prospect having won Serie A's Young Footballer of the Year and played for Italy Under 21's.

It was a ridiculous decision from EA to give Brighi a 97 rating, regardless of how talented he was - so what's he up to nowadays? Well, safe to say he never quite lived up to his potential.

Since leaving Parma in 2004, Brighi has played for nine clubs: Brescia, Roma, Cheivo, Atalanta, Torino, Sassuolo, Bologna, Perugia and Empoli.

Despite being so highly rated as a youngster, he only ended up making four appearances for Italy in his seven years as a national team player.

Brighi's now playing for Empoli in Serie B and even though he's 37 years old and basically forgotten about, he still has a 70-rated card on FIFA 18 Ultimate Team (see below).

Brighi may have never reached his potential, but he'll forever be remembered by FIFA fans for being one of the game's highest-rated players.