It’s the first week of the second half of this cycle of EA FC 25, and the 27th Team of the Week is kicking off the back half in style with some of the biggest names in both the men’s and women’s games. The chance to get a special edition of an already brilliant player means the chance to plug a true superstar into your team, but what did these great players do to earn their place in the side? Be their brilliant selves. Check out some of the best action on the real pitch before heading to the virtual one with these aces.

Barbra Banda Is Back

Coming off a season where she showed so much dominance, it’s led to baseless and bigoted accusations from the biggest idiots in and out of the sports world — while also leading Orlando and her legendary teammate Marta to a long-desired title — fans will have been eager to see what Banda and he Pride have in store for opponents this year. Much to the chagrin of anyone hoping another side comes out on top this year the answer seems to be a whole lot more of the same.

Facing off against a playoff team in Chicago, albeit one that was the very definition of mediocrity sitting eighth in both the table and in goals conceded, Orlando laid down a marker that they had no plans of being any less dominant than the year before when they nearly reached the end of the regular season unbeaten. When the final whistle blew they had put six past future Hall of Famer Alyssa Naeher, and Banda was at the heart of it, as usual, notching two goals and an assist. With the NWSL back in action, it was inevitable that an eventual Team of the Week showing from Banda would be inbound, but it’s barely even a surprise that it came at the very first opportunity.

Grab Your Golden GOAT

From a woman with a strong case for being the best player on the planet right now, we move to a man who has just about locked up the title of the best player ever in the minds of an ever-growing majority of the football-watching world. While Major League Soccer is not exactly renowned for its elite level, its teams aren’t quite made up of the bums and farmers fans of the bigger leagues might have you believe. But even at 37, Lionel Messi still can make it look that way when at his best.

Facing off with Atlanta United — the side that knocked Messi and company out of the playoffs in a shocking upset following their stellar regular season — Messi played like a man with a point to prove. While his day could easily have been bigger with a few near misses on would-be brilliant goals and a should-be assist spurned on the break, the one goal Messi did deliver in his side’s 2-1 win was everything fans have come to expect of the man dubbed “the little magician.” Picking up the ball after a loose Atlanta touch near their box, it took just a few touches for Messi to dance through the defense and loft a delicate chip over playoff hero Brad Guzan to tie the game and send Miami on the way to their eventual win.

Debinha Dazzles In Season Debut

Banda wasn’t the only player back in action in the NWSL who immediately made their case for an In Form card, as Brazilian wizard Debinha put on a masterclass against Portland Thorns as her Kansas City Current squad kicked off the year with a win. It was a connection with the one woman who scored more often than Banda last season, Temwa Chawinga, that got the season rolling for Kansas City. Debinha found Chawinga behind the Thorns defense with a perfectly judged bending ball and the scoring champ did what the scoring champ does.

The duo nearly hooked up for a reversal soon after with Chawinga again let loose behind the Thorns defense where she squared to Debinha to tuck home for the 2-0 lead, only to see the flag go up. Current fans wouldn’t have to wait long to see Debinha’s first goal of the season, however. Barely fifteen minutes and one Michelle Cooper long-range golazo later it was 3-0 on a goal that was all Debinha. First intercepting the ball in the midfield she sprung the counter, sent another dangerous ball in behind the Thorns back line and, after the resulting low fizzed cross led to chaos in the box, pounced on the loose ball inside the six to hammer home the ball and the last nail in Portland’s coffin.

Nikola Milenković Eats Well Against Minnows

The “no easy matches in the Premier League” mantra isn’t having its best season this year, much like the three newly promoted sides who are proving it less universally true than previously believed. With Wolves the only side not sitting on at least twice as many points as any of the three, the bottom three represent about as surefire a three-point day as you’re likely to see in the modern Premier League. This also provided a chance for individuals to show out and earn some personal accolades. 

A center back is perhaps not the first thought to come to mind for who will benefit from the soft opposition on offer — particularly when the third-place side still conceded twice — but Nikola Milenković made his chances count. First, he opened the scoring how defenders so often do, from a corner. It wasn’t a thumping header, however. Instead, it was some quick reactions with his feet to smash home. It was another mighty swing of the leg that earned his assist as Ipswich made the cardinal sin of allowing a long ball forward from Milenković to hit the ground and suddenly, Anthony Elanga was in behind to give the Serbian giant his second goal contribution of the day as Forest took another step toward confirming their surprising place in Europe’s top competition next season.

Péter Gulácsi Piles The Grief On Dortmund

Things have been rough in both Leipzig and Dortmund this season, with the two teams generally considered the most likely to challenge near-certain champions Bayern Munich both riding the struggle bus this campaign. If seeing Bayer Leverkusen dethrone Munich last year wasn’t bad enough, both sides have had plenty to complain about this season. Dortmund has struggled in the league, while Leipzig’s disastrous Champions League campaign has spilled over into their domestic form in the new year, causing them to tumble out of the Champions League places.

When the two met, it was a chance for one to take a step toward righting the ship, and despite Dortmund creating a plethora of chances — chances that on another day or another season would likely result in a bagful of goals — they conspired to miss the frame with many of them. And when they did manage to get shots on target, they found Gulácsi waiting like a brick wall to pile on the misery. Nine times, the Black and Yellow side managed to get an effort on target, and nine times they were rebuffed by the brilliant Gulácsi as Leipzig secured a 2-0 win and three precious points for their European aspirations.

Who Was Overlooked? – Pernille Harder (Bayern Munich)

While there’s no official formula for earning a place on the Team of the Week, it’s generally a good bet that a big performance in a big game will see you well-positioned for the honor. That will be news to Pernille Harder who ran the show and dominated the match as Bayern put the Frauen-Bundesliga in a chokehold. In a one-vs.-two six pointer where Wolfsburg could draw level at the top or Bayern could pull six points clear, it was Harder who ensured it was the latter that came to pass.

She opened the scoring with a simple tap-in, getting on the end of a cross to tap home at the back post and put Bayern six points clear in the live table. While her next goal was not much further out, latching onto a ball between the spot and the six, it was a true finisher’s goal as Harder took advantage of a lapse of concentration by the defense to get on the end of another cross before cooly sliding it home with a side-footed jumping volley. To put a cap on the day, Harder cooked Janina Minge to get to the byline and clip in a tantalizing cross and put Munich 3-0 ahead. With Eintracht Frankfurt dropping three points later in the match week, Munich now sits six points clear of both with five to play, having dropped just seven points in 17 prior matches this year.

These were some of my favorite showings from this week’s in-form side, but there were plenty of great performances to go around. Who was your top performer and did they make the team this time?