Fifa World Cup 2006 Game Player Ratings | NEWEST - ANTHOLOGY |

The crowd roars. The plastic pitch glows. The story begins again.

A 79. Let that sink in. He was still "C. Ronaldo" with the terrible frosted tips. He had 92 dribbling but 68 finishing. In the game, he was a trick pony—stepovers for days, but he'd shoot the ball into Row Z. The story here is the origin arc. By the 2006 final, he was crying after the Portugal loss. By 2008, he was a 95. But in FIFA 06 ? He was just a skinny kid who fell over too much. The Final Whistle You boot up a quick match: Italy vs. France .

The host nation’s captain. A 91 rating with 88 shot power and 89 long passing. He was the engine. In the story of the game, Ballack was the tragic hero—injured for the opening match, fighting through pain. In virtual form, you used him to launch 40-yard missiles at the keeper. fifa world cup 2006 game player ratings

The American hope. An 84 rating felt insulting to US fans, but compared to the rest of the world, it was accurate. His pace was 89. In the story of the game, Donovan was the "annoying little brother"—not strong enough to win the cup, but fast enough to score a sweaty goal against your Brazil team to make you throw the controller. The "Wait, he's that low?" (70-79) Lionel Messi (78 OVR) – Argentina Here is the most famous rating in FIFA 2006 history. An 18-year-old kid with a 78 overall. Low stamina. Low strength. But 91 acceleration and 5-star weak foot. The game didn't know what he was yet. If you were a hipster player, you subbed him on in the 60th minute and dribbled past the entire Serbian defense. The story of this rating is hindsight: EA gave him a 78. The real world gave him the title of "Greatest of All Time."

The King of Highbury. His acceleration was a 98. In the game, the meta was simple: pass to Henry, hold sprint, cut inside, finesse shot. He felt heavier than Ronaldinho but faster than light. His rating told the story of a man carrying Arsenal to the Champions League final, ready to explode for France. He almost did (until Zidane’s headbutt). The crowd roars

It’s the Berlin final. In the game, Totti (89 OVR) is dictating play. Gattuso (86 OVR) is slide tackling everything that moves. Materazzi (78 OVR) is… well, he’s there.

You hit "Rematch."

Here is the story of the game, told through its most iconic player ratings. The Gods (94-97) Ronaldinho (97 OVR) – Brazil He was the cover star, the magician, the cheat code. A 97 rating meant he could dribble through the entire Czech Republic defense without breaking stride. In the game, his skill move star rating was maxed out. The story should have been his tournament. But in the real 2006 World Cup, he went quiet. In the game, however? He was eternal. You’d rainbow flick over three defenders just because you could.