FIFA ratings are now as important a part of the franchise as gameplay or graphics, generating endless arguments and determining the value of every player in Ultimate Team's intensely competitive virtual market. Fans are always incredibly eager to pour over the stats of various players, keen to see if the stars of the world's biggest clubs have been justly represented. The bigger the club, the more fearsome the debate - and no side are currently bigger than Barcelona. Real Madrid's FIFA 16 ratings have already been leaked - and were recently covered by WhatCulture here - but the Catalan giants' stats have now thrown a spanner into the works. As this article will demonstrate, Barca's players have generally outstripped their Bernabeu rivals, a reflection of their domestic and European dominance in 2014/15. That's not to say Barca are now a squad of overrated supermen, but EA certainly seem to have given them a slight edge. It must be noted that these ratings are to be regarded as pre-release drafts, and could well change before FIFA 16 hits the shelves in September. Of course, the eternal question remains. Messi or Ronaldo? The leaked Real Madrid ratings showed that Ronaldo will receive a one-point increase for FIFA 16, leaving him level with Messi's 2015 figure of 93. Have EA bestowed further improvements upon the four-time Ballon d'Or winner, or will he and Cristiano finally be regarded as virtual equals? There's only one way to find out...
