Barcelona's Lionel Messi is the star man in Team of the Week 32 in FIFA's Ultimate Team after he was awarded with a purple hero upgrade and a positional switch to attacking midfield.
The 29-year-old's boost comes after his incredible performance in Sunday's Clasico showdown with Real Madrid, as he netted two goals in a 3-2 win, including the winner with the final kick of the game. The second goal was Messi's 500th for Barcelona.
Although Messi's upgraded rating of 96 makes him by far the finest player in this week's squad, there are other star names in the selection. They include Juventus centre-back Leonardo Bonucci and Manchester United forward Anthony Martial, who both scored in wins for their side on Sunday.
Here is a look at this week's crop of players, per the EA Sports Twitter feed:
Here is the breakdown of 23-man squad, including amended positions and updated in-form ratings:
Starting XI | OVR | N | Position | New | League | Club | Nationality |
Rune Almenning Jarstein | 80 | 83 > 85 | GK | Bundesliga | Hertha Berlin | Norway | |
Leonardo Bonucci | 87 | 88 > 89 | CB | Serie A | Juventus | Italy | |
Jose Maria Gimenez | 83 | 85 | CB | RB | La Liga | Atletico Madrid | Uruguay |
Raul | 75 | 81 | CB | Primeira Division | Maritimo | Brazil | |
Lionel Messi | 93 | 95 > 96 | RW | CAM | La Liga | Barcelona | Argentina |
Blaise Matuidi | 86 | 87 | CDM | CM | Ligue 1 | Paris Saint-Germain | France |
Ganso | 81 | 84 | CAM | La Liga | Sevilla | Brazil | |
Marco Fabian | 78 | 81 | CAM | Bundesliga | Eintracht Frankfurt | Mexico | |
Christian Benteke | 81 | 84 > 86 > 87 > 88 | ST | Premier League | Crystal Palace | Belgium | |
Max Kruse | 80 | 83 | SS | ST | Bundesliga | Werder Bremen | Germany |
Keita Balde Diao | 80 | 85 | LW | ST | Serie A | Lazio | Senegal |
Substitutes | |||||||
Marc-Andre ter Stegen | 83 | 86 | GK | La Liga | Barcelona | Germany | |
Alberto De la Bella | 76 | 81 | LB | Hellas Liga | Olympiakos | Spain | |
Nicolas De Preville | 77 | 81 | ST | CAM | Ligue 1 | Lille | France |
Caio | 75 | 81 | LM | Raiffeisen SL | Grasshoppers | Brazil | |
Anthony Martial | 82 | 84 > 86 | LM | ST | Premier League | Manchester United | France |
Ciro Immobile | 81 | 84 > 86 > 87 > 88 | ST | Serie A | Lazio | Italy | |
Anthony Jackson-Hamel | 63 | 64 | ST | Major League Soccer | Montreal Impact | Canada | |
Reserves | |||||||
Jimmy Cabot | 73 | 74 | LM | RM | Ligue 1 | FC Lorient | France |
Nicolas Benedetti | 64 | 64 | CAM | Liga Dimayor | Deportivo Cali | Colombia | |
Angelo Fulgini | 66 | 72 | CM | CAM | Ligue 2 | Valenciennes | France |
Lois Diony | 70 | 74 | ST | Ligue 1 | Dijon | France | |
Richard Sukuta-Pasu | 67 | 72 | ST | Bundesliga 2 | SV Sandhausen | Germany |
Lionel Messi, Barcelona
Even Messi couldn't have anticipated he'd score his 500th goal for Barcelona in such extraordinary circumstances.
With the match in the balance, the forward latched onto Jordi Alba's cutback on the edge of the box, thudding a left-footed shot into the bottom corner. He roared, took his shirt off and showed it to the Real Madrid supporters. It was 3-2 and there wasn't even time to restart the game.
Afterwards, his manager Luis Enrique hailed his efforts:
It was a stunning performance from Messi. Not only did he net a couple of fine goals, he surged forward relentlessly, committed opposition defenders and did so despite being on the receiving end of some rough treatment from Madrid players.
Indeed, Messi was bloodied by a flailing elbow from Marcelo in the first period, while he was almost chopped in half by Sergio Ramos' second-half lunge.
FourFourTwo's Seb Stafford-Bloor hailed Messi:
As a result of this display, the forward has quite the card. Not only has he been reassigned as an attacking midfielder, meaning he can potentially be converted into a striker, his dribbling tops out at 99, while shooting of 95, pace of 92 and passing of 91 make this version of Messi almost unstoppable.
Leonardo Bonucci, Juventus
Rated by many as the standout centre-back in world football at the moment, Bonucci showed exactly why with a supreme display against Genoa on Sunday.
His work in the final third caught the eye in this match, though. The Italian picked up the ball in the middle of the field, slalomed past a couple of challenges and smashed home an unstoppable shot.
It was a perfect showcase of one of the game's outstanding all-round footballers. Here's a reminder of his superb goal, per BT Sport Football:
Bonucci is one of the best in the business at keeping opponents out too. His partnership with Giorgio Chiellini has blossomed this term, with the pair the bedrock upon which this outstanding Juventus team has been forged on.
Needless to say, his in-form card makes him one of the standout defenders on Ultimate Team, with his defensive base stat of 91 almost unrivalled. Couple that with 88 for physicality and a respectable 77 for dribbling, Bonucci is a multifaceted must-have.
Anthony Martial, Manchester United
Although Martial hasn't enjoyed the finest second season with United, he offered a reminder of what he is capable of producing when given a chance against Burnley.
The Frenchman was deployed as a centre-forward by manager Jose Mourinho and was in the right place to coolly finish off a Red Devils counter-attack. Throughout the 90 minutes he was a pest to the home side too, with his movement and smart linkup giving defenders a lot to think about.
As noted by Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News, Mourinho has been critical of Martial lately, but the youngster has responded well:
The goal was only the fourth the 21-year-old has netted in the Premier League this season, as he's struggled to showcase the same thrust and composure that made him such a handful in 2015-16.
Martial's conversion to a striker in this in-form card will please plenty who love to utilise a pacy front man on FIFA; his speed rating of 95 is enough to leave even the most competent defenders on the game trailing.
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