Football Manager 2023: Top 100 best players revealed

One of the biggest days in the football gamers calendar came yesterday as Football Manager 2023 (FM) was released across all platforms, bar PlayStation 5.

With the release came the reveal of the top 100 players in this year’s edition of the iconic game.

FM takes in a far wider range of attributes when rating and ranking players, which given the more real-life nature of the game makes sense. Veterans of the game can attest to this with technical (crossing, dribbling, finishing etc.), mental (bravery, leadership, teamwork etc.) and physical (agility, stamina, balance etc.) all being crucial elements to a player’s performance.

Based on this, the top 100 list looks at players’ Current Ability (CA) to judge how good a player truly is right now, with every player in the FM database given a rating out of 200. Potential Ability (PA) is also considered when scouting players, particularly younger ones.

KDB sits on top of the FM world ahead of Haaland amongst others

This more realistic view of players is reflected in this year’s ranking with Kevin De Bruyne topping the list with a score of 189/200. It is perhaps surprising to see him ahead of forwards like Kylian Mbappe (188), Robert Lewandowski (186), Karim Benzema (185), Mohamed Salah (185) and his Manchester City teammate Erling Haaland (185) but who could dispute KDB’s all-round ability and influence on his team.

De Bruyne and Haaland are two of 14 City players in the top 100. The FM creators are giving Pep Guardiola little excuse not to finally win the Champions League in real-life this season.

WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 17: Erling Haaland of Manchester City celebrates with Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne after scoring their side's second goal during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester City at Molineux on September 17, 2022 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

The post-January transfer window update will likely see some of these scores altered – expect Haaland to shoot up the list from his current joint-fourth spot given his cyborg-like goalscoring performances so far this season. World Cup success for France would likely also see Mbappe and Benzema’s ratings further increase – this is the case for others like Neymar who sits in 14^th (177).

Messi makes the top 10, Ronaldo just about makes the top 100

Rounding out the top 10 is Harry Kane (183), Thibaut Courtois (181), Virgil van Dijk (181) and Lionel Messi (180). Messi’s rating is probably influenced by his below-par performances last season and a mid-season upgrade is likely. However, unlike FIFA where Messi reigns supreme in first place, FM is probably accurate in suggesting the Argentinian has been replaced as the best in the world by one of the men above him.

Messi Ronaldo

At least Messi is in the top 10. You might be asking where is Cristiano Ronaldo? Well, he’s just about this made the list sitting in a lowly 100^th place with a score of 158. His (apparent) rapid decline damningly reflected, particularly in his speed ratings, where his pace has been slashed from 16 to 13 and his acceleration down by the same number, from 15 to 12.

There are a few questionable calls - do players take notice of FM rankings?

The list is a who’s who of the absolute best players in the world (obviously) with only a few arguments to be made – for example, is Courtois a full four points better than Liverpool’s Alisson? Should Rodri be 14 points clear of Casemiro?

Will players take note of these ratings (like they do with FIFA) and use it as fuel to prove the doubters wrong at the World Cup and for the rest of the season? It’s not hard to imagine CR7 getting word on further perceived disrespect. Even if not, it is a brilliant game to test your “managerial ability” and perhaps right the wrongs of your club’s current gaffer, at least in a virtual reality.