Varane Is Rated Higher Than Cannavaro And I Don't Fully Know How To Feel About That

Raphael Varane is rated higher than Fabio Cannavaro.

Higher than Alessandro Nesta. Higher than Rio Ferdinand. Higher than Puyol, Chiellini, and Bobby Moore. Sit with that one for a second, because I've watched the reveal about four times now and I'm still not sure my brain's accepted it.

That's the headline from EA's Class of '27. And before you close the tab thinking this is another list of names you already knew were coming, there's a catch buried in Varane's card that nobody's really talking about yet. I'll get to it. It changes things. But first, let's look at what's actually landed, because this is one of the more interesting ICON drops we've had in a while.

FC 27 ICON Class of '27

The Bit You Actually Need To Understand First

EA dropped ten brand new ICONs on August 24, plus two former Heroes, Lúcio and Yaya Touré, getting bumped up to full ICON status.

Solid group. Aguero, Varane, Pepe, Rummenigge, Christine Sinclair, and a handful more.

Here's the part people keep tripping over, so I'll say it plainly.

• August 24 — the class lands

  Ten new ICONs revealed, plus Lúcio and Yaya Touré promoted from Hero to full ICON status.

• Launch — the Debut version

  Every card walks out of the pack rated 85 or 86, inspired by the early days of that player's international career.

• Around November 30 — the Champion upgrade

  That same card becomes its Champion version. The proper, final, big-boy rating. This is the number you've seen on Twitter.

So when you see "Varane 90" and "Aguero 90" flying round Twitter, that's the Champion card. The upgraded one. Not what walks out of your pack on day one.

Don't panic when your pre-order ICON looks a bit mid in September. It's supposed to. It grows.

Right. Now the fun stuff.

AGUERO COMING BACK AND IMMEDIATELY LOOKING LIKE A PROBLEM

Sergio Aguero. City's number 10. One of the cleanest finishers the Premier League has ever had, and EA have given his Champion ICON a 90 overall at striker and the way they've built him is exactly what you'd want. He's not been turned into some 6'2 battering ram.

He's kept as Aguero. Sharper pace, a little less physical, and a shooting profile that does the talking. He's landed Finesse Shot+ as his Plus PlayStyle, with Chip Shot, Low Driven Shot, First Touch, Technical and Tiki Taka sitting underneath it.

If you've played enough FUT to know what Finesse Shot+ does to a keeper from the edge of the box, you already know how this ends. Cut in, shift it onto the wrong foot, top bins. Over and over.

He's not the biggest name in the class. He might be one of the most useful. Hot pick

Sergio Aguero FUT ICONs Card
(Credits : FUT Sheriff)

Now. Varane.

Okay. Deep breath.

Varane's Champion ICON is a 90-rated centre-back, and here's the full card so you can see what the fuss is about.

90 defending. 84 physical. 82 pace on a 6ft3 frame.

He's got Anticipate+, plus Aerial Fortress, Block, Jockey, Power Header and Quick Step.

And the leaks reckon that pushes him above the Cannavaros and Ferdinands of the ICON roster.

Which is the line everyone's reacting to. Varane, higher than a Ballon d'Or-winning centre-half. I get why people are pulling faces.

Raphael Varane 90 rated Champion ICON card 
(Credits : Futsheriff)

The Catch Nobody's Putting In The Thumbnail

But I told you there was a catch, so here it is.

Defensively he might genuinely be one of the best in the game. The anticipation, the recovery pace, the aerial dominance, it's all there.But the second you try to bring the ball out and switch play under pressure, that one-star weak foot is going to remind you very quickly that this man is a defender, not a playmaker.

Is that a dealbreaker? For a centre-back, not really. You're not asking him to spray it. You're asking him to head it clear and jockey wingers into the corner flag, and he'll do that all day.

So "Higher than Cannavaro" is doing a lot of heavy lifting. On defending and pace? Believable. As a complete footballer? That's a spicier debate and that's kind of the fun of it. Elite defender, limited passer

The Rest Of The Class, Because It's Genuinely Deep

Rummenigge might quietly be the best striker in the whole group. His Champion version comes with 91 pace, 89 shooting, 91 dribbling.That's a card built to run in behind and finish, and profiles like that tend to age very well as the meta settles.

Pepe's in there too, as the more physical, no-nonsense defender to Varane's smooth operator. More of a Bruiser, more of a wind-you-up merchant, which is perfect because that's exactly what he was in real life.

Lúcio's upgrade is worth a mention as well. His Champion card reaches 90 defending and 91 physical, which on the raw numbers actually makes him a stronger tank than Varane in the box.

Different tools, same job.

And then the headliners. Zidane and Gullit sit at the top of this class at 91 Champion, with Pirlo up at 90.

Christine Sinclair also lands at 91 and becomes the first Canadian ever inducted as an ICON. Genuinely a lovely milestone, and a great card to boot.

Zidane Champions Card

Ruud Gullit Champions Card

Christian Sinclair Champions Card

So What Do You Actually Do With All This?

Here's my honest read. The Debut ICON you can grab through the Ultimate or Ultimate Plus pre-order is a random pull from an 18-player pool. You don't pick, and EA have said the odds aren't even across all 18, so temper the expectations a bit.

It's a nice head start if you were buying that edition anyway. If you weren't, it's not worth reshaping your whole plan around one untradeable card.

What I actually like about this class is that the ratings tell a story instead of just handing everyone 99s.

A defender who defends brilliantly but can't pass with his left. A striker built to finesse it, not bully people.

That's more interesting to play with, and it makes the squad-building feel like actual decisions rather than a spreadsheet. Aguero's going to bang. Varane's going to frustrate the exact type of player who tries to Cruyff-turn out of his own box with him.

Both of those things are correct and I love them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the difference between a Debut and a Champion ICON?

The Debut version launches first at 85 or 86, inspired by the early days of that player's international career. The Champion version is the upgraded, final rating that arrives around November 30.

Q. Is Varane really rated higher than Cannavaro in FC 27?

On the leaked Champion ratings, yes. His 90 defending, 84 physical and 82 pace push him above several classic ICON centre-backs, though his one-star weak foot tells a different story on the ball.

Q. What are Varane's stats on his Champion ICON?

82 pace, 51 shooting, 68 passing, 76 dribbling, 90 defending and 84 physical, with Anticipate+ plus Aerial Fortress, Block, Jockey, Power Header and Quick Step.

Q. Does the one-star weak foot ruin Varane?

For a centre-back, not really. It hurts when you try to switch play under pressure, but it barely matters when his job is heading clear and jockeying wingers into the corner.

Q. Who are the highest rated ICONs in the Class of '27?

Zidane, Gullit and Christine Sinclair all land at 91 Champion, with Pirlo, Aguero and Varane at 90.

Q. How does the pre-order ICON work?

The Ultimate and Ultimate Plus editions give you a random Debut ICON from an 18-player pool. You don't choose, the odds aren't even across the pool, and the card is untradeable.

Q. Will these ICONs come to normal packs?

Yes. They filter into regular packs later in the cycle, the same way last year's class did, so nobody is permanently locked out.

Final Whistle

Varane higher than Cannavaro is going to be argued about for months, and honestly, good. That's the best kind of ICON drop.

Just go in knowing what you're actually getting. A brilliant defender with hands tied on the ball, not a ball-playing centre-half. Tell me I'm wrong about the weak foot though. I'll be in the comments, ready to be convinced Varane's a ball-playing centre-half.