Diego Costa also cracks the top 50 for the first time in the FIFA franchise thanks to a wonderful series of performances at Atletico Madrid, joining former teammate Thibaut Courtois in not only moving to Chelsea but also landing a place among the elite. Costa has earned a reputation as one of Europe's most prolific goalscorers of late and is now rated 37th in the top 50. The Brazil-born Spanish international scored 27 La Liga goals from 35 appearances last season with only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo outscoring him in Spain. He also added a further eight goals in nine Champions League outings, equalling the record held by Vavá since 1959 for most in a season by an Atlético player. At Chelsea he is again showing flashes of brilliance, having netted four Premier League goals from just three games. There are many who suggest he should be a lot higher up the rankings than 37th, with his overall points score of 85 dubiously putting him on a par with Carlos Tevez, but we won't quibble about that here. Costa deserves to be in the top 50 and should definitely climb further still if this season is anything to go by.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
