All of these players featured in FIFA 19’s ‘Top 100’ list, but have seen a decline in form over the past year.
Ranging from transfers that never fully materialised to managerial disputes and scraps on the training pitch, here are the players that have seen their OVR rating slip since this time last year.
Gianluigi Buffon (OVR 88 - 83)
Position: GK
Age: 41
Club: Piemonte Calcio (Juventus)
Country: Italy
Our first 88 rated FIFA 19 star dropping out of the 'top 100' is Gianluigi Buffon. At the age of 41 the legendary Italian keeper is no longer performing at the level that he once could, and sees an overall rating drop of five.
Now that Buffon has returned to Italy following a year with Paris Saint-Germain, his starting spot has been taken by Wojciech Szczesny (whose confidence and ability grows with every passing season).
Gareth Bale (OVR 88 - 85)
Position: RW, LW, ST
Age: 30
Club: Real Madrid
Country: Wales
Injuries and issues with the manager seem to have finally got the better of Gareth Bale, whose rating looks to have taken one of the biggest hits of all the players mentioned in this piece.
Bale only played three games in La Liga last season, so will need to return with avengance if he wants to see his rating improve this year.
Alexis Sanchez (OVR 87 - 82)
Position: LW, LM
Age: 30
Club: Inter Milan
Country: Chile
Some of the football community were surprised to see Alexis Sanchez' rating climb to 87 last season, but the Chilean’s poor form of late has brought him crashing back down to an 82 rating (the biggest downgrade we have seen yet).
He will have to pull some strong performances together this season in Italy if he wants to see his rating return to previous heights.
READ MORE: Absolutely Everything you need to know about the FIFA 20 Demo
Mesut Ozil (OVR 86 - 84)
Position: CAM, RW
Age: 30
Club: Arsenal
Country: Germany
Mesut Ozil has received a lot of criticism for his sporadic performances at the Emirates throughout the season; one week he would deliver a MOTM performance and earn the trust of fans, and the next he would be completely missing, initiating a toxic relationship with the club's support base.
Ozil must work on his consistency this year or he will struggle to break back into Unai Emery’s squad and see his rating improve.
Douglas Costa (OVR 86 - 84)
Position: LM
Age: 28
Club: Piemonte Calcio (Juventus)
Country: Brazil
Representing Juventus, Douglas Costa will no doubt have seen his rating fall after experiencing a tough season in Italy filled with various injuries and setbacks. It’s pretty difficult to get a good rating if you’re not playing.
With a new manager in the form of Maurizio Sarri, he has a fresh start, but still faces plenty of competion in the form of Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Dybala, Federico Bernardeschi and Juan Cuadrado.
Nicolas Otamendi (OVR 86 - 83)
Position: CB
Age: 31
Club: Manchester City
Country: Argentina
Nicolas Otamendi is more than a capable defender, but his lack of consistency in Manchester City’s starting 11 over the past season appears to have caught up with him.
Guardiola is currently showing favour to the youthful partnership of Aymeric Laporte and John Stones at the back, so it may be a struggle to break back into the line-up.
Vincent Kompany (OVR 85 - 83)
Position: CB
Age: 33
Club: Anderlecht
Country: Belgium
Leaving the success of his last 11 years behind him in Manchester, Vincent Kompany has returned to his home country, now serving as player-manager for Anderlecht (however the club's mismanagement over recent years means that Kompany has his work cut out for him).
Kompany's overall rating has been brought down to 83, with his age playing a major factor in the process.
READ MORE: Two separate FIFA 20 Soundtracks announced!
Diego Costa (OVR 85 - 83)
Position: ST
Age: 30
Club: Atletico Madrid
Country: Spain
Diego Costa spent much of last season hampered with injuries, making only 21 appearances for Madrid in all competitions.
In those 21 appearances, the striker only managed to bag himself five goals, so it comes as no shock that his rating will be falling from 85 to 83.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about FIFA 20
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!
FIFA