Salah, Kane & Vinicius Jr set to be snubbed for TOTY amid Ronaldo inclusion
Oh, the Cristiano Ronaldo fan base has well and truly arrived in EA FC 24, after the legendary footballer saw his overall rating get slashed at the start of the year.
As the Team of the Year rolled around, CR7 was enlisted as a nominee in the attackers' roles, despite having spent the year out in the Saudi Arabia League, and rather than looking at the quality of players from around the world, the fanboys have jumped on the bandwagon and taken advantage of this opportunity.
According to leaks, Ronaldo (and Lionel Messi) are both controversially earning spots in the Team of the Year on EA FC, beating out the likes of Mo Salah and Vinicius Jr.
Messi and Ronaldo leaked for FC 24 TOTY
EA FC leaker "FUTZONEFIFA" has claimed that Ronaldo and Messi are both being named in the fan-voted FC 24 TOTY, being crowned as the best attackers of 2023 alongside Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.
One of these players is expected to be the "12th man", as the starting XI in the TOTY will only include three attackers, but all four are alleged to get the biggest upgrades in Ultimate Team yet.
While Lionel Messi's inclusion was probably solidified by winning the World Cup in 2023, rather than his individual performances in the MLS, Ronaldo's surprise addition will catch a lot of players off guard, considering the calibre of players left out.
Ronaldo did net 44 goals in 50 games for Al Nassr in 2023, but the footballing consensus usually omits players from outside of the top-five leagues in the world, given their status in world football.
Mo Salah, Vinicius Jr, and Kane reportedly snubbed in FC 24 TOTY
Click to enlargeThe most obvious omissions in the EA FC TOTY come in the attackers' category now, as Kane, Salah, and Vinicius are all reportedly being left out.
Harry Kane ended the year with the second-most Goals and Assists in the top-five leagues, behind Haaland, netting 43 goals in 48 games and adding another ten assists to that tally. This beat Ronaldo's record by two (not including national team goals).
Mo Salah also finished the year with a combined 49 domestic G/A (30 goals, 19 assists), which despite being two less than Ronaldo, comes as a much bigger accomplishment given the level of competition disparity between the Premier League and Saudi Pro League. According to FUTZONEFIFA, Salah is only set for an Honourable Mentions card this year.
Other attackers in the top-five leagues like Lewandowski (33 G/A) Vinicius Jr (39), Antione Griezmann (40), and Lautaro Martinez (46), also made the nominee list, but have not been voted in over Messi and Ronaldo.
Should leagues outside of the big top five also begin to be included in the TOTY discussion, EA FC actually left out the most prolific attacker in world football throughout 2023 from the nominees, as Maxime Lestienne made more goal contributions (58) than Haaland, Kane, and Ronaldo, and Mbappe while playing for Lion City Sailors in the Singapore Premier League.
Another major omission would be Gundugan, who might not be your first thought, but has also Captained Manchester City to a historic treble, as the Blues won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in 2023.
It's not uncommon for this to happen, as the EA FC TOTY vote is generally a popularity contest, but Ronaldo can count his lucky stars this year.
