14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at EA Sports is informing us that it is getting closer to the announcement of the Team of the Year for the Ultimate Team in FIFA 15, and ahead of the official reveal, the company has convened a high-profile round-table featuring some very capable players who offer their own predictions about the eleven players that will make the cut.
The official site and video feature discussion and picks from Rio Ferdinand, who has captained England and is currently a defender for QPR, Joey Barton also from QPR, Kyle Walker from Tottenham Hotspurs, and Adebayo Akinfenwa, who is the strongest player featured in FIFA 15.
The Team of the Year as picked by all four includes:
Goalkeeper - Manuel Neuer
Defenders - Marcelo, Thiago Silva, Sergio Ramos, Philipp Lahm
Midfielders - Paul Pogba, Toni Kroos, Angel Di Maria
Forwards - Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Aguero, Lionel Messi
Rio Ferdinand has a slightly different take on the best performers of last year and his own team includes:
Goalkeeper - Manuel Neuer
Defenders - David Alaba, Diego Godin, Raphael Varane, Philipp Lahm
Midfielders - Xabi Alonso, Angel Di Maria, Toni Kroos
Forwards - Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Gareth Bale
For Joey Barton, the goalkeeper stays the same but most of the other picks are different:
Defenders - Jordi Alba, Mats Hummels, Sergio Ramos, Philipp Lahm
Midfielders - Luka Modric, James Rodriguez, Angel Di Maria
Forwards - Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Thomas Muller
Kyle Walker believes that the best players in 2014 are made up of:
Goalkeeper - Manuel Neuer
Defenders - Marcelo, Thiago Silva, Sergio Ramos, Philipp Lahm
Midfielders - Eden Hazard, Paul Pogba, Toni Kroos
Forwards - Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahmovic, Lionel Messi
Finally, the picks made by Adebayo Akinfenwa are:
Goalkeeper - Manuel Neuer
Defenders - Jordi Alba, Vincent Kompany, Sergio Ramos, Philipp Lahm
Midfielders - Eden Hazard, Paul Pogba, Andres Iniesta
Forwards - Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Aguero, Lionel Messi
The reveal of the Team of the Year for the Ultimate Team mode in FIFA 15 will take place on January 12 and the pack will be offered for one week only.
FIFA 15 relies on Ultimate Team for long-term engagement
Ultimate Team is not universally loved by long-term FIFA fans but the mode has become very popular with gamers who have a competitive streak.
The mode is also making a lot of money for Electronic Arts, and that means that the studio in charge of the football sim has every incentive to deliver new content and updates for it.
FIFA 15 is expected to get a new patch at the start of February.
