Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could only express his surprise at being downgraded by one point to 87 (falling from 25th to 36th in the overall ranking) through the medium of emojis.
One player who refuses to legitimise FIFA's player ratings is Romelu Lukaku. The Inter Milan striker saw through the hype, and didn't mince his words while making his thoughts on the matter known.
For the record, Lukaku's rating of 85 has sent him up from 86th in the overall FIFA 20 ranking to 77th this time out.
TOP 10
10. Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
A new face in the Top 10, Mane's integral role in Liverpool's historic title-winning campaign has seen him leap up from 28th in last year's FIFA ratings thanks to a massive stat boost.
9. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Mane's strike partner has actually slipped down one place from his FIFA 20 ranking, though a couple of his technical stats (notably his dribbling) have been increased to compensate.
8. Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
Mbappe has seen his mercurial career progression mirrored by a huge leap from 11th in the FIFA 20 rankings to eighth this year, though his overall rating has only been bumped up by one point, from 89 to 90.
7. Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
The best defender in the game for the second year running, Van Dijk has maintained his 90 rating from FIFA 20, though his technical stats have fallen very, very slightly.
6. Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid)
Oblak is comfortably the best goalkeeper in FIFA 21 with an overall rating of 91 -- the same rating awarded to the Atletico Madrid No. 1 last year.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen is the next keeper on the list with an overall rating of 90, making him the 11th-strongest player in the game, while Liverpool shot-stopper Alisson (also 90) is right behind him in 12th.
5. Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain)
A single rating point now separates Neymar from his PSG teammate Mbappe, with the gap closing from three points in FIFA 20. Could be a sign of an imminent changing of the guard.
4. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Just like last year, De Bruyne is the best player in the Premier League as far as EA Sports is concerned, which tallies with him winning the PFA Player of the Year award this week.
3. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Unsurprisingly, given he's coming off the back of a Treble-winning 55-goal season, Lewy is the best out-and-out striker in the game. Such a shame he picked the year that the Ballon d'Or was cancelled to hit such heights.
The Bayern hitman has rocketed up from an overall ranking of 15th (with a rating of 89) last year to being classed as the third-best player in FIFA 21 (91), just behind the "Big Two" in the pecking order.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Ronaldo must once again make do with second place having failed to usurp his nemesis for the past three years.
The last time Ronaldo (94) was rated higher than Messi (93) was in FIFA 18.
1. Lionel Messi (Argentina)
He may have endured a trophyless season with Barca that culminated in that 8-2 Champions League evisceration by Bayern Munich and a shock transfer request that caused a collective sharp intake of breath throughout the football world (followed by a dramatic U-turn when he decided to stay). But Messi can at least take some consolation from the fact he still reigns supreme in the FIFA universe.
Whether the fact his rating has decreased by a single point since last year is down to his club's barren campaign or an overall decline in his abilities, only time will tell.
You can view the full Top 100 player ratings for FIFA 21 here. The game will be released by EA Sports across a wide range of platforms on Oct. 9.