A new era of football gaming is upon us, and many gamers from these shores will now be wondering who the best Irish players in EA Sports' new FC 24 are.
Gone are the heady days of FIFA 2005, when the Ireland squad had three players rated over 85 in-game, with only one Irish player rated higher than 75 on the first installment of the revamped EA Sports FC series this year.
Nonetheless, gamers will want to know how best to set up the Irish team if playing with Stephen Kenny's side on the new game. That's why we've compiled what we believe to be the best Irish XI on EA Sports FC 24.
We picked the best 11 players we could based on player ratings, while being somewhat reasonable in where we positioned them on the field. There are one or two players playing out of position, but we believe the trade-off is worth it for the results on the pitch.
Note: this is a compilation of the best Irish men's team. We'll have a piece on the best Irish women's XI shortly.
READ HERE: The 10 Best Ultimate Team Kits To Use In EA Sports FC 24
READ HERE: Epic Night In London As Stars Converge To Launch EA Sports FC 24
READ HERE: The Ireland Player Ratings On EA Sports FC 24 Make For Very Grim Reading
EA Sports FC 24 Irish players: Selecting the best men's starting XI on the game
Formation: 5-4-1
GK: Caoimhín Kelleher (Liverpool, 73 rating)
10 September 2023; Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher before the UEFA EURO 2024 Championship qualifying group B match between Republic of Ireland and Netherlands at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Total stats add up to 406 v Mark Travers' 403
There are two Irish goalkeepers tied for top spot in EA Sports FC 24 though, surprisingly, neither are real world first-choice Gavin Bazunu. Both Caoimhín Kelleher and Mark Travers have 73 cards, though Liverpool keeper Kelleher makes it in as his individual stats add up to 406 - three more than Travers' 403.
RWB: Séamus Coleman (Everton, 75 rating)
27 March 2023; Seamus Coleman of Republic of Ireland and Kylian Mbappé of France during the UEFA EURO 2024 Championship Qualifier match between Republic of Ireland and France at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
Slightly out of position, but six out of Ireland's seven top-rated players on the game are defenders, so someone's got to move slightly to accomodate the rest.
Ireland's captain Séamus Coleman holds a 75 rating on the game, even as he approaches his 35th birthday.
CB: Nathan Collins (Brentford, 76 rating)
10 September 2023; Nathan Collins of Republic of Ireland before the UEFA EURO 2024 Championship qualifying group B match between Republic of Ireland and Netherlands at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
The highest rated Irish player on FC 24, and with good reason. Nathan Collins has broken the Irish transfer record two summers in a row with his moves to Wolves and now Brentford, and is a pivotal part of the Ireland defence in real life under Stephen Kenny.
One of the best Irish players to sign on any career mode journey.
CB: John Egan (Sheffield United, 74 rating)
10 September 2023; Xavi Simons of Netherlands in action against John Egan of Republic of Ireland during the UEFA EURO 2024 Championship qualifying group B match between Republic of Ireland and Netherlands at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Promoted to the Premier League as a captain with Sheffield United, John Egan has been one of Ireland's most dependable players in recent years, and holds a very respectable 74 rating on FC 24.
A solid option at the heart of the back three.
CB: Darragh Lenihan (Middlesbrough, 73 rating)
16 June 2023; Darragh Lenihan of Republic of Ireland during the UEFA EURO 2024 Championship qualifying group B match between Greece and Republic of Ireland at the OPAP Arena in Athens, Greece. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Darragh Lenihan's presence in this side might come as something of a surprise to some, but the Middlesbrough centre-back's 73 rating has him ahead of the likes of Dara O'Shea, Jimmy Dunne, and Andrew Omobamidele.
Shane Duffy comes close to toppling Lenihan, but Duffy's woeful 34 pace rating sees him come up short in the overall statistics tally 379-326.
LWB: Ryan Manning (Southampton, 74 rating)
10 September 2023; Ryan Manning of Republic of Ireland during the UEFA EURO 2024 Championship qualifying group B match between Republic of Ireland and Netherlands at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Ryan Manning has found opportunities hard to come by in Stephen Kenny's Ireland team but, if its any consolation, he is comfortably Ireland's best option down the left-hand side of defence on EA Sports FC 24.
In fact, he is one of only six Irish players on the game to be rated 74 or higher, and stands four points ahead of Robbie Brady, and five ahead of James McClean in the left wing-back pecking order.
RM: Matt Doherty (Wolves, 75 rating)
10 September 2023; Matt Doherty of Republic of Ireland during the UEFA EURO 2024 Championship qualifying group B match between Republic of Ireland and Netherlands at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Perhaps Ireland's most high-profile player, given his recent spells with Spurs and Atletico Madrid, Matt Doherty has to be content with a 75 rating this year, after some prolonged time on the sidelines last season.
Played slightly out of position at right-midfield to accomodate Ireland's slightly unbalanced ratings in favour of defenders on FC 24.
CM: Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion, 71 rating)
7 September 2023; Jayson Molumby of Republic of Ireland during the UEFA EURO 2024 Championship qualifying group B match between France and Republic of Ireland at Parc des Princes in Paris, France. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
An industrious presence in midfield, Jayson Molumby's 71 rating sees him come out on top in the battle of the middle of the park, just beating out the likes of Alan Browne, Jay O'Shea (both 70), Luca O'Connell, Conor Hourihane, Jason Knight, Sammie Szmodics, and Jack Taylor (all 69).
CM: Josh Cullen (Burnley, 76 rating)
10 September 2023; Josh Cullen of Republic of Ireland during the UEFA EURO 2024 Championship qualifying group B match between Republic of Ireland and Netherlands at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Tied with Nathan Collins as the best Irish players on FC 24. Cullen was instrumental in Burnley's promotion to the Premier League last season and we can hope to see the 27-year-old's rating climb even higher next season after a year of top flight experience is under his belt.
LM: Chiedozie Ogbene (Luton Town, 70 rating)
22 March 2023; Chiedozie Ogbene of Republic of Ireland celebrates after scoring his side's third goal despite the attention of Antonis Cernomordis of Latvia during the international friendly match between Republic of Ireland and Latvia at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Another player played slightly out of position to accomodate a reasonable team formation, Chiedozie Ogbene is technically down as a centre forward on the EA Sports FC 24 database.
However, the Luton Town forward has more often than not played out wide when deployed for Ireland in real-life.
ST: Evan Ferguson (Brighton, 73 rating)
19 June 2023; Evan Ferguson of Republic of Ireland celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the UEFA EURO 2024 Championship qualifying group B match between Republic of Ireland and Gibraltar at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Only one option up front, with Evan Ferguson given a remarkably high 73 rating at just 18 years of age.
His goalscoring exploits for Brighton thus far have been nothing short of sensational, and we can only dream of how his rating may climb in the years to come.
SEE ALSO: How To Defend In FC 24: 6 Important Tips And Tricks
