Guide
PES 2013 Teams and Player Ratings Explained
How PES 2013 ratings really work: the attribute hexagon, the numbers that matter on the pitch, and why overall ratings lie about hidden gems.
Contents On this page
Overall numbers are the first thing every PES 2013 player reads and the first thing that misleads them. This guide explains how Konami built the ratings in Pro Evolution Soccer 2013, which attributes actually change matches, and how to read a player card the way the game engine reads it.
The hexagon and what it hides
The team selection screen shows six headline values: attack, defence, power, stamina, technique and speed. They are useful as a fingerprint and useless as a verdict. Two midfielders can share an identical hexagon while playing completely differently, because the hexagon averages dozens of individual attributes, and PES 2013 is a game where individual attributes, not averages, decide duels, first touches and finishes.
The attributes that decide matches
Dribble accuracy governs how closely the ball sticks at pace. Shot technique decides whether a striker can finish while off balance or stretching. Body balance decides who wins a shoulder charge. Ball control shapes your first touch under pressure, and explosive power decides the first three steps, which is where most PES 2013 chances are really created or killed. For the complete picture of the game, start from the PES 2013 Fan Guide home page and work outwards from there.
Why overall ratings lie
A winger rated in the low eighties with elite explosive power and dribble accuracy will terrorise full backs all match, while a higher rated name with ordinary acceleration feels heavy. PES veterans learned to shop by attribute, not by overall, and Master League careers were built on cheap players whose two or three key numbers were far better than their headline rating suggested.
Player ID changes the maths
Ratings are only half the story for the biggest names. Player ID layers signature movement on top of the numbers: Ronaldo's chopping runs and shooting posture, Neymar's loose limbed dribbling, Kaka's long stride. A star can feel better than his attributes because his animations cover ground and open angles that a generic player model cannot.
Reading a team, not just players
Team strength in PES 2013 is chemistry between ratings and shape. Barcelona's short passing attributes shine in a possession formation and fade in a direct one. A counter attacking side wants pace and passing range in the same eleven. Before blaming your players, check whether your formation asks for attributes your squad simply does not have. We go deeper on the connected topic in our Master League transfers and youth guide, which pairs well with this one.
Goalkeepers and defenders
Keeper ratings reward positioning and reflexes over spectacle, and the best PES 2013 keepers make difficult saves look routine because they start in the right place. For defenders, response and jump matter as much as the tackle itself: a centre back who reads the pass early rarely needs the desperate slide that gets players sent off.
Finding hidden gems
Every PES database hides bargains: young full backs with stamina and speed, target strikers with jump and heading numbers beyond their price, and set piece specialists whose dead ball accuracy transforms a mid table side. Search by the attribute your system lacks, sort young, and you will find players the overall column walks straight past. We go deeper on the connected topic in our Copa Libertadores history, which pairs well with this one.
Putting it into practice
Build a habit: before any match or signing, open the detailed attributes and read the five numbers your game plan depends on. Keep a notebook of players whose key attributes outperform their rating. Within a season you will stop seeing overall numbers entirely, and your team will be stronger for it.
Quick Answers
What do PES 2013 player ratings mean?
Each player is scored across dozens of attributes such as dribble accuracy, shot technique, body balance and explosive power. The six sided hexagon summarises them, but the individual attributes are what the engine uses in matches.
Who are the highest rated players in PES 2013?
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi sit at the top of the database, with stars such as Neymar, Kaka, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Xavi close behind. Player ID makes the biggest names feel even better than their numbers.
Why does a lower rated player sometimes feel better?
Because the attributes your style depends on, such as explosive power or ball control, can be elite even when the overall average is modest. PES 2013 rewards reading individual attributes rather than the headline number.