It's that time of year again when EA Sports unveil their ratings for the latest edition of FIFA.

And while casual football fans might be looking to see whether Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo top the statistical charts, dedicated gamers will instead be looking for the most overpowered cards.

Besides, there is a certain charm that comes with the fact that the most effective players on FIFA aren't necessarily those who stand out as the best in the business when it comes to real life.

Legendary FIFA cards

With certain attributes and skills proving particularly bountiful depending on the characteristics of each year's game, there are always a certain number of players who become legendary on FIFA.

Marcos Llorente and Leon Goretzka might well secure that status in FIFA 22, but we wanted to grab this opportunity to take a trip down memory lane or should we say the street that never forgets?

Yes, that's right, we have channelled that classic footballing phrase to put forward 19 FUT players that the streets will never forget with overpowered centre-backs and rapid centre forwards galore.

Liverpool, Arsenal & Man City - Match Reaction (Football Terrace)

FUT cards that the streets will never forget

So, what are you waiting for? Check out the players who either made your childhood or caused you to smash more controllers than the number on the game down below:

1. Nilmar (FIFA 12)

While Ronaldo, Pele and Romario might stand out as Brazil's greatest ever strikers in real life, Nilmar might well be the GOAT when it comes to the virtual world.

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2. Ramires (FIFA 13)

FIFA 13 was all about pace, pace and more pace, so Ramires manning central midfield with an outrageous speed rating of 88 was practically a cheat code.

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3. Jack Butland (FIFA 17)

Who is the greatest goalkeeper of all time: Peter Schmeichel, Gianluigi Buffon, Dino Zoff, Gordon Banks...? Nope, Butland in FIFA 17.

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4. Emmanuel Emenike (FIFA 13)

Ah, we all remember the halcyon days of KSI losing his mind as Emenike proved that his pace, power and calculated finishing made him unstoppable on FIFA 13.

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5. Gabby Agbonlahor (FIFA 10)

Speaking of pace, you could guarantee that Agbonlahor would be causing smashed controllers with his ridiculous busts of speed during the early days of Ultimate Team.

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6. Marvell Wynne (FIFA 13)

A centre-back with 96 pace just isn't fair.

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7. Seydou Doumbia (FIFA 15)

You know where we're going with this, don't you?

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8. Gervinho (FIFA 15)

Uh huh...

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9. Victor Ibarbo (FIFA 15)

Yup, that's right, who could possibly forget the year that AS Roma had Doumbia, Gervinho and Ibarbo on their books for an outrageously pacy triumvirate with maximum chemistry?

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10. Naldo (FIFA 16)

Quick, strong, intelligent and a ruthless free-kick taker to boot, you could only go so far wrong with Naldo marshalling your defence back in FIFA 16.

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11. Yassine Chikhaoui (FIFA 15)

It should have been illegal to give a 75-rated card more than 80 for pace and dribbling, never mind being given five-star skills and five-star weak foot to boot. Madness.

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12. Dede (FIFA 13)

How did you stop rapid strikers in FIFA 13? Well, you bought some rapid centre-backs, of course, with Dede proving one of the best in the business.

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13. Jonathan Biabiany (FIFA 15)

Look, if you're strutting around with 96 pace back in the days when Ultimate Team was so often decided by how fast your team was, you were always going to become a FIFA legend.

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14. Alexander Esswein (FIFA 13)

Speaking of which, we can reliably inform you that Esswein's 75 rating was nothing more than a facade because his 90 pace made him feel like a 99 overall.

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15. Stephan El Shaarawy (FIFA 12)

A silver card in name only. Defences were at your mercy when El Shaarawy bombed down the wing with his outrageous five-star skills.

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16. Felipe Santana (FIFA 13)

Remember what we said about pacy centre-backs in FIFA 13? Yeh, ditto.

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17. Welliton (FIFA 12)

And yes, we're talking about pace again because everyone seemed to fall in love with the Russian Premier League in the early 2010s as Welliton's speed and finishing made any team unstoppable.

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18. Chris Smalling (FIFA 17)

Real-life Virgil van Dijk hasn't got anything on Smalling from FIFA 17.

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19. Fredy Guarin (FIFA 14)

You know you're a complete midfielder when the lowest stat on your FUT card is 76 defending with the Colombian's dribbling, shooting and passing all exceeding the 80 mark.

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What a nostalgia trip

The happiness, the anger, the nostalgia - talk about a wild ride.

Say what you like about where the FIFA series has gone over the last few years, but there's no denying that the cult status of its older releases will always hold a special place in people's hearts.

Besides, if it wasn't for the wild world of FIFA and FUT, so many fans might never have known about Emenike's incredible strength, Esswein's blistering pace and Chikhaoui's stunning dribbling.

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ENTER GIVEAWAY

Oh, and that Jack Butland in 2016/17 was basically Lev Yashin. Kind of. Maybe. Probably not.