FC 27 Fans Fume as Ronaldo Drops to 84, Messi Hits 89
Published 2026-08-27 · DB.Coins Blog
Why Ronaldo's FC 27 Card Has Timelines Arguing
Since EA started dropping FC 27 ratings this week, no single card has generated more heat than Cristiano Ronaldo's. His overall slipped from 85 in FC 26 down to 84 in FC 27 — low enough that he missed the Men's Top 27 list entirely. In the same reveal window, longtime rival Lionel Messi picked up a +3 boost to 89, reportedly on the back of a strong 2026 World Cup campaign. That 5-point gap has turned into one of the biggest ratings arguments the community has had all year, spilling across Reddit threads and X timelines within hours of the cards going live.
What actually changed
Ronaldo's card reportedly took hits across pace, dribbling and a few secondary stats, with pace being the number players keep circling back to — several posts online frame it as "nine pace slower than Messi." Meanwhile Messi's jump to 89 puts noticeable daylight between the two in an Ultimate Team context, especially for pace and dribbling, with Ronaldo's remaining edge mostly in shooting and physical presence.
The two sides of the debate
The "it's fair" camp points out this isn't sudden — Ronaldo has been sliding for a few years now (86 in FC 24, 85 in FC 26, 84 now), and his move to the Saudi Pro League has coincided with EA weighting that league lower in its rating models. At 41, some drop-off in pace and dribbling tracks with what fans see on actual matchdays.
The "this is disrespect" camp isn't buying it. The pushback centers on his real 2025/26 season output — around 30 goals and 5 assists in 37 matches — and the sense that a legacy 5-star, 5-star card is being quietly phased down while a rival gets boosted in the same cycle. For a lot of players, it's less about the raw number and more about the optics of dropping one GOAT-tier card right as the other gets rewarded.
What it means for your squad and the market
Practically, this shifts early-game demand. Expect Messi's card to be the pricier, more contested pickup for hybrid attacks once packs open, while Ronaldo's 84 becomes a cheaper, still-usable option for budget builds or as a chemistry link rather than a marquee starter. If EA follows past patterns, don't be surprised if Ronaldo gets a mid-year special card that quietly fixes the pace complaint — that's happened with other veteran cards before.
Our take
Both things can be true here: EA's league-weighting logic isn't new, and the outrage is genuinely proportional to how visible this comparison is. If you're building around either card early, treat base versions as short-term pieces rather than long-term investments — special versions almost always follow for players this popular.
Whichever side of the debate you're on, building your Ultimate Team around big-name cards gets expensive fast. DB.Coins offers safe trading that increases your coin balance, with instant delivery — Get FC Coins.