FIFA 19: 8 Surprises From The Top 100 Players

7. So Has Gareth Bale

Gianluigi Buffon is coming to the end of his natural shelf-life as a top-level goalkeeper and, though EA do seem to be jumping the gun, his decreased position in the Top 100 is arguable. What the hell is going on with Real Madrid's grinning Welshman Gareth Bale though? He's another to hit the skids.

This year, Bale has dropped from #17 in FIFA 18 (which seemed low even then) to #31 on the FIFA 19 pecking order. His cheeky smile from last year's Ultimate Team card has been replaced by the stoic face of a man who knows he's not having a great time of it and might end up signing for José Mourinho's Man Utd.

Hey, it could happen, and probably will if FIFA's Career Mode is anything to go by.

Bale's stats don't reflect his fall from grace. Some of them are actually upped by a point, so it doesn't make sense that his overall has gone from 89 to 88. Pace and Shooting, notably, have been improved, and it's only Dribbling and Defending that drop. The latter isn't exactly paramount for a speedy, goal-getting wing man, so why has it affected his rating?