While many cards in FIFA 21 ultimate team can take months to acquire, EA Sports can be generous with the quality of cards that are thrown out into orbit for FIFA fans to shoot for.
The ability for players to quickly improve their teams has been boosted by EA’s use of player objectives and it’s a win-win for both sides. Not only do many of the free players suit a variety of builds, but it also keeps people playing Ultimate Team during the week when many players have finished playing FUT Champions and Division Rivals.
9 Ruben Neves - 89-rated CM
Players that work in FIFA 21’s meta can’t slack on defense and Portuguese Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves is a perfect fit for most teams. Finding a true box-to-box player at an affordable price can feel like a myth on FIFA 21 at times as players jostle with 500,000 coin price tags, but Neves for free could be the best value card of the year.
A couple of flaws with this card look to be the 71 agility and 76 balance stats which can be fixed with an engine chemistry style, but the Portuguese star is flawless everywhere else for what players need in a player who can dominate the middle of the park. Perfect work rates.
8 Rico Henry - 84-rated LB
A quick through-ball down the line will quickly exploit slow full-backs in FIFA 21, which means a pacey defender is the only counter. Fortunately, Rico Henry is exactly that.
The young English left-back can be unlocked in just one game against a friendly opponent by scoring 12 finesse goals with a squad of EFL Championship players. FIFA 21 fans using an English squad won’t find a better meta-fit on the left side of defense other than expensive versions of icon Ashley Cole.
7 Javier Pastore - 89-rated CAM
The Italian Serie A has some of the best options in the game after the recent releases of Adrien Rabiot and Stephane El Shaarawy. At 6'2, Javier Pastore proves difficult to tackle while having the ability to thread the ball into any space on the pitch.
A standard 83 finishing base stat is saved by 93 shot power, which means a shot inside the box will find the net if on-target.
6 Joseph-Claude Gyau - 85-rated LW
The MLS star has athletics stats to compete with the best wingers in FIFA 21. A score of 99 in agility paired with 98 balance is more than Lionel Messi’s team of the year card — and Gyau is faster than the Barcelona legend too.
Technical stats are where this card falls short; 67 vision makes it almost impossible to pass accurately in delayed gameplay. Though, Gyau can shine as a super-sub when blitzing past tired defenses.
5 Emiliano Buendia - 86-rated RM
While there may be few meta options available on the right-wing, Emiliano Buendia is comfortably the best card available in the EFL Championship. The nimble Argentinean can quickly wrong-foot defenders with boosted dribbling stats while a 90 vision base stat enables slick passes through some of the most over-powered defenders on the game.
Buendia is part of the EFL Championship Squad Foundations II objective, which means the skillful winger can be acquired at the same time as Rico Henry.
4 Jeff Hendrick - 85-rated CM
The Irish international may not be one of FIFA 21’s highest-rated midfielders, but this card’s meta stats make it well worth completing to fit into a team as a supporting option. Three-star skill moves limit the ability to beat defenders in 1v1 situations but Hendrick has more than enough technical attributes to finish chances and play key passes when in the opponent’s third.
Basic chemistry style lifts Hendrick up to a 90-rated option, which should hold out until the team of the season drop, but users will find more value by looking at this card as the Irish version of Marcos Llorente — one of the most overpowered players in the game. Go with a shadow card to acquire pace stats of 87 acceleration and 84 sprint speed while lifting all defensive stats into the mid-80s.
3 Klaas Jan Huntelaar - 90-rated ST
Huntelaar returns to his prime with a 90-rated FUT Birthday card hooked up with a five-star weak foot. EA Sports haven’t made the card too overpowered with just 82 acceleration; a hunter card should fix that somewhat.
Finishing chances inside the box is where Huntelaar will excel, which is realistic given the Dutchman’s playing style in real life. The 98 base finishing score and 91 shot power mean this card is unlikely to miss when given an opportunity. FIFA fans comfortable with using taller strikers should certainly try this card out.
2 Tariqe Fosu - 86-rated LW
EA’s latest release of Tariqe Fosu can be selected when reaching level 15, which should be in reach after a couple of days. The Ghanaian winger has everything required for a skillful winger; speed, agility, balance, and, importantly, four-star skills.
The recent releases of EFL Championship players mean it wouldn’t be the craziest idea to try out a weekend league team featuring the best of FIFA 21’s players from the English second tier.
1 Antonio Candreva - 88-rated RM
While most FIFA 21 players have too many left-sided midfielders to fit into a team, strong right side options are hard to come by.
Antonio Candreva can be acquired by reaching level 30 in the latest season pass, which means it’s vital to complete the bronze, silver, and gold weekly objective sets. Boost the Italian winger up to a 93 overall by applying an engine chemistry style.
NEXT: 10 Ways To Improve Your Defending On FIFA 21
