One of the reasons that FIFA continues to be successful year after year is the realism. Just to clarify, I’m talking about the official licence that allows FIFA 18 to use real player names, likenesses and so on. Of course this doesn’t apply to players who haven’t had their faces scanned by EA and generated youth players, but there’s not much we can do about that.
This option has existed for a while and I always thought it was quite pointless. Until I started signing players with small details in their appearance like wrist bands. The clearest example I can give is from FIFA 17, when I started a career mode as Tottenham Hotspur and signed Renato Sanches from Bayern Munich. If you signed him on last season’s game then you’ll know he was glorious in a central midfield role. However, he had red gloves. Absolutely fine while he’s in a Bayern kit but once I signed him, it stuck out so badly.
Personally I think this issue could be avoided if accessories were automatically switched to any of the club’s key kit colours. You might not need to change it manually, but also the choice of colours would be better. I’ve listed them below but lets just say the colours available for gloves and wrist accessories are pretty poor.
How to Edit Player Appearance
1. Unlock the Ability to Edit a Player
Editing a player’s appearance isn’t possible right away. For some reason, EA have decided that this ability should be unlocked manually. To do this, you’ll need to open the EASFC Catalogue (It’s R3 on the PS4). There are lots of options here so make things easier for yourself by filtering to Career. This is where you’ll also find Financial Takeovers and Scout a Future Star. Scroll down and eventually you’ll find ‘Edit a Player in Career Mode’. Providing you have enough EASFC Points you’ll be able to purchase this option.
2. Locate the Menu
Once you’ve unlocked the option, go to the Squad tab in career mode. In the bottom right corner, the Edit Player tile should now be unlocked and accessible. Select this option.
3. Make Changes
There’s a list below of all the different options you have to edit player appearance. Make your intended changes and try not to change anything else. If you do, just go Back and start again.
4. Save
Once you’re happy with the changes you’ve made, choose ‘Done’ (The OPTIONS button on PS4). Then when you’re back in the main menu of career mode, save the game.
What Can You Edit?
Boots
I won’t list all the possible brands and styles here as there are many. Also there are additional boots that can be unlocked.
Ankle Tape
Yes
No
Available in White, Black or Grey.
Waist Style
Tucked
Untucked
Whether your shirt is tucked into your waistband or hangs over it.
Kit Fit
Normal
Tight
Team Default
Sleeves
Short
Long
Undershirt Only
Undershirt & Turtleneck
Gloves
No
Yes
Available in White, Black, Blue, Red, Yellow, Green, Orange, Purple, Brown, Pink, Burgundy, Light Blue and Navy.
Wrists (Both)
None
Sweat Band
Bracelet
Tape
Boxing Tape
Available in White, Black, Blue, Red, Yellow, Green, Orange, Purple, Brown, Pink, Burgundy, Light Blue and Navy.
One thing that always makes me laugh about Career Mode is how invested we get in the small details. If like me, you enjoy keeping your career modes as realistic as possible, then FIFA’s automated kit number choices will surely baffle and frustrate you. It tends to just give players the lowest available number that is ‘relevant’ to their position.
You might just want to keep your youth academy players away from the low numbers until they’ve fully matured, purely for reasons of realism. Alternatively, you might want the numbers to accurately reflect your starting XI and their positions (scroll to the bottom).
It’s fairly easy to change kit numbers in FIFA 18, but I’ll run you through the steps:
1. Squad Tab
Inside Career Mode, navigate to the Squad Tab.
2. Squad Hub
From here, find the Squad Hub tile and select in.
3. Player
Next, find the player whose number you’d like to change and select them. Inside the drop down, the middle column is Squad Options and at the bottom of the list you’ll find the Change Kit Number option.
4. Select New Kit Number
In FIFA 18, the interface for kit number management has been improved. You’ll now see the number displayed on the back of a shirt. Move left or right to find the kit number you’d like to give to your player. If another player in your squad already has that number, their name will be displayed in the grey box, along with the number they’ll be switched to should you confirm the change.
5. Advance and Save
Once you’re happy, simply Advance (with X/A) and then go and save your game. You’ve just changed a kit number, easy as that.
Traditional Kit Numbers
As I mentioned above, you might want to change your squad numbers to keep them more ‘traditional’. The list below will give you an idea of what numbers are typically (but not always) associated with a position. Bear in mind that this applies most directly to a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2, you’ll have to use your imagination if you’re using an alternative formation.
In FIFA 18 career mode potential is one of the most important aspects of the game. Like most career mode players, you’ll be trying to sign high potential players that will eventually grow into world beaters. But what about the other players in your squad? The ones that have some potential but perhaps aren’t quite worthy of ‘Has Potential to be Special’ or ‘An Exciting Prospect’. What if there was a way to increase potential in these young players? Perhaps you’d be able to hold onto the real world players a bit longer rather than resorting to youth scouting. Follow the steps below to increase potential in your players.
1. Identify Suitable Players
The only criteria for this trick is that it can only be used on young players. I’ve successfully used it to increase potential on players up to the age of 24. Feel free to try it on slightly older players but it’s unlikely to work, even with players under the age of 24 it isn’t 100% successful.
This does mean that you can use it to boost Youth Academy players. While most players only promote ultra high potential players, this trick could be useful if you’ve got a lower potential player that has other desirable attributes such as five star weak foot or skill moves.
2. Add to Loan List
Once you’ve got a list of players you’re hoping to boost, go into your squad hub and add all of these players to the loan list.
3. Save the Game
As with a lot of things in career mode, this is just good practice. Save the game and proceed to step 3.
4. Wait for Offers
Getting players out on loan can be tricky in FIFA 18 (and some of its predecessors). You’ve probably noticed it before when trying to loan out your youth prospects to slim your squad down. Loan offers can be unpredictable, inconsistent and most of all frustrating.
My advice is to advance a few days (less than a week), if you haven’t received any loan offers in that time, reload the game and try again. It helps to be patient throughout this process.
5. Negotiate and Accept
Once you’ve received an offer to loan one of your players, select the Negotiate option.
First of all, edit the length of the loan to ‘Short Term‘. This type of loan means the player would ordinarily return to your club during the next transfer window. We do this to minimise the amount of compensation or cancellation fee we have to pay later.
Secondly, edit the wage split as you see fit. If you’re a wealthy club, don’t be stingy. I’ve already mentioned how difficult it can be to get loan deals agreed, just give the other club what they want.
Once this is done, the loan deal will be agreed and the player will join the other club (temporarily).
6. Save the Game
Saving the game after hitting a milestone is important here in case other offers come in.
7. Advance
The plan is to recall the player from loan within a short time frame, but I tend to wait a few days first. Advance the game by 2-3 days.
8. Save the Game
Sorry for the repetition but this is the most important point to save the game at.
9. Recall from Loan
We’re now at the final part of the process. It’s not complicated here but I’ve included a few screenshots so that you know what you’re looking for.
First of all, go into your squad hub and find the player that you loaned out a few days ago.
Now use the shoulder buttons to open the ‘Financial‘ tab of the squad hub. We’re looking for the Player Value. This is displayed in both the list of players and the individual player’s information card. Write this number down or make a mental note of it, this is how we will know if the glitch has been successful.
Select the player and hit the ‘Recall from Loan‘ option.
Select ‘Yes’ to confirm this. At this stage you’ll see the amount of compensation you’ll be forced to pay to the other club for terminating the loan early. This is why we negotiate short term loan deals.
Now you’re back in the financial tab and the player in question is back at your club (and wearing your kit again).
10. Review
Now you need to take a look at his value and compare it to what it was before. It will either have stayed the same, gone up or gone down. If it has stayed the same or gone down, exit career mode and reload your save.
You might have to repeat this process many times to get it to work. You can also try advancing a few more days and try it again, this has worked for me on players that hadn’t increased after 20 reloads.
If the player’s value has increased, it has been successful. It might be a small increase of say 3-5%, but it could be much higher, 50% or more. Player value is directly tied to a player’s overall rating and their potential. Therefore if their value increases without their overall rating going up, you know their potential has increased.
Now save the game and continue to do this with your other players if you wish. You can even repeat it with the same players! Enjoy your newly boosted players.
It’s not foolproof and does require a bit of patience but this is the only way we know of to increase potential at will.
You’ve never wondered what would happen if you drop Chelsea FC into League Two? No? Just me then. With any simulation it’s fun to play around with it and see what happens. FIFA career mode is no different.
I’ve run this same test before with previous versions of the game but wanted to document it this time. The question I’m trying to answer is ‘What happens when you move a Premier League club into League Two?’. I chose the English leagues because they are the only ones in FIFA 18 that have four tiers. This gives me a better opportunity to see what happens with promotions or relegations over a longer period of time.
Of course dropping a team into League Two is a completely unrealistic scenario. Even if a team were found guilty of match fixing or breaching FFP rules, they would only be docked a few points.
Why Chelsea? It was a random pick, I wanted one of the top sides though.
Setup
First off I go into the Customise tab and download the latest squad updates – this will make sense in a moment. Then I open up a new manager career mode and start switching the teams around using triangle/Y.
I switched Chelsea with Aston Villa, then Wigan, then Coventry. This left Aston Villa in the Premier League, Wigan in the Championship, Coventry in League One and Chelsea in League Two. I could have just switched Chelsea with a League Two team but the only drastic change I wanted in this sim was Chelsea’s position. Villa, Wigan and Coventry were picked because they were the better teams in their original leagues and have relatively decent transfer budgets.
Next I setup the usual settings, difficulty, match length and so on. The three main things here are:
Squads – Current Customised. You won’t be able to change this because you switched teams around. This is why I did the squad updates first.
European Competition – turned off for the first season. I assumed that Chelsea would retain their Champions League place and thought this would be an unfair advantage.
Transfer Window – the way they describe this setting is slightly confusing. I left it as it is, which means teams can make transfers in the very first window. I wanted to observe if and how Chelsea’s transfers would change.
2017/18
As I’m playing as Arsenal, the first thing I noticed was the Community shield. The fixture should have been Chelsea (2016/17 Premier League Winner) vs Arsenal (2016/16 FA Cup Winner). However, it was Aston Villa vs Arsenal. It looks like when you switch teams, they take on the other ones place in any other competitions. If I had turned European competitions on in the first season, Aston Villa would have been in it.
After the summer transfer window closed, I looked at the Transfer History section to see what Chelsea had been up to. Frustratingly, it only shows a certain number of transfers, so I had to sort by transfer value. This meant I would only see the big transfers but I decided this would be ok. I mostly wanted to see if any Chelsea players would jump ship now that they were in League Two. The other way to check was just to search for Chelsea players through the player search. I only observed one key transfer during this window and it was Andreas Christensen to Monaco for £27.3m. He’s not a regular first teamer at this stage anyway but his wonderkid potential means that this was a great deal for Monaco.
Now it was time to sim the game forward in time to 31st December and see how Chelsea are getting on…
Midway
Midway through the season and Chelsea are already well ahead
Unsurprisingly (considering they didn’t lose any key players), Chelsea made a fantastic start to life in League Two. Winning 88.46% of their games put them top of the league by 20 points, with a huge goal difference.
I thought I’d also see how they were doing in the Carabao Cup. Turns out they had been beaten 2-1 by Swansea City in the quarter finals. They didn’t lose any big players in the January transfer window so I continued on to the end of the season.
Chelsea won League 2 by a sizeable margin
As you can see Chelsea maintained their great form and went on to win League Two in their first season. Considering their 30 point lead and goal difference of +95, they probably wrapped the title up in March/April.
It’s only while writing this post that I notice something strange has happened. Did you notice it? At the end of 2017, Chelsea had drawn twice but at the end of the season the league table reports zero draws for Chelsea – WTF. I’ve seen anomalies before in career mode when you switch jobs mid season but nothing like this, maybe I’ve just never noticed it.
Chelsea had been knocked out of the FA cup early (they weren’t visible in the cup tree display) to my surprise. West Bromwich Albion actually won the FA Cup which was a little surprising but not unheard of. As far as the Premier League goes, Manchester City won the title and Aston Villa were relegated. Wigan were also relegated but Coventry were doing alright in League One and had finished mid table.
2018/19
Second season gets underway and the only notable transfer is Abdul Rahman Baba to Ajax for £17.6m. Not a huge loss really, it’s weird that they haven’t lost any big players like Hazard or Courtois.
Chelsea top of League One in December
At the end of the calendar year, Chelsea are top once again but not by a huge margin, only five points. Their goal difference is much better than anyone else’s but I’m wondering if this league will be a little tighter. I’m still expecting them to gain automatic promotion but maybe not with a 30 point lead, maybe not even in first place.
My team (Arsenal) were drawn against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup in September, they lost 2-1. It doesn’t seem like anything major happened for them in the January transfer window so I continued on to May.
At the end of the season I check in on League One and see that Chelsea have triumphed again. For the second season in a row they were knocked out of the FA Cup early on. Back to back promotions is very good, even if their squad is miles ahead of the competition in terms of quality.
2019/20
At this point, Chelsea are about to start their first season in the Championship and the transfer window starts to get a little more interesting.
As Arsenal manager, I had signed Gianluigi Donnarumma in one of the previous seasons. I didn’t want to go too crazy with transfers but needed the squad to be good enough to meet some objectives so I wouldn’t get fired. During the summer transfer window, Chelsea made an approach for Donnarumma, offering £49.8m. This was a strange move anyway considering they still had Courtois (who was rated 91 at this point) but I declined their offer anyway.
They also sold two of their strikers during this window. Diego Costa moved to Barcelona and Michy Batshuayi was sold to Roma for £40.7m. The only player I could see that they bought during this window was Ivorian left back Ghislain Konan. The fee paid to V Guimaraes was £16.1m, so this seems to be a direct replacement for Baba Rahman.
Midway
Chelsea comfortably ahead on New Year’s Eve
Stopping at the end of December, I noticed that Chelsea had been knocked out of the Carabao Cup early on but were already leading the Championship. A pattern was emerging, they had a fairly comfortable lead and an impressive goal difference, just as they had in the previous two seasons.
During the January transfer window, Chelsea bid a massive £57.7m for Stefan de Vrij (also an Arsenal player at this point). I again rejected their offer, just to force them to pursue other targets rather than just purchasing my in form players.
End of Season
Chelsea gained automatic promotion comfortably
Skipping ahead to the end of the season and things have mostly gone as expected. Chelsea finished top of the Championship and won automatic promotion back to the Premier League (in just three seasons). Although they made the automatic promotion spots comfortably (ahead of third-placed Wolves by 23 points), they only beat Newcastle by two points. Chelsea won the same number of games as Newcastle but drew two more games than them.
For the second time in this simulation, Swansea destroyed Chelsea’s cup dreams by beating them in the FA Cup semi final 1-0. It’s strange that Chelsea have performed so well in the league campaigns but haven’t won any major silverware. I suppose the knockout format of the cups make things a little more unpredictable, but their players should have been in good form because of their regular league wins. There is of course a chance that Chelsea won the Johnstone’s paint trophy along the way but there doesn’t seem to be a way of checking this.
At this point I was a little disappointed that Chelsea had found it so easy to get back into the Premier League. The big sides can often struggle in seasons I’ve played but my guess is that the difference in squad quality plus good form meant Chelsea were able to steamroller most sides. The fact that they only won the league by two points gives me a bit of hope that they might struggle on their return to the Premier League.
2020/21
Chelsea’s only purchase was Raheem Sterling
At the start of the season, they didn’t lose any players and only brought in one. The sizeable purchase of Raheem Sterling for £76.8m from Manchester City was quite the statement of intent. Viewing their transfer activity is much easier when the team I’m managing is in the same league as them.
Chelsea get their Premier League campaign underway
At the end of August I had a quick look at the league table and Chelsea had taken no time to get back to winning ways in the Premier League. In previous games, early fixtures have often had a big impact on a team’s success due to form so things were looking good for Chelsea.
Midway
Chelsea are still doing well but have slipped to fourth
Skipping ahead to the end of December and Chelsea are still near the top of the table. Things are a lot tighter this time around, only five points separate second and ninth place. At this point, they’re on course for a return to European football next year.
Chelsea sent Baker and Kenedy out on loan
Another relatively quiet transfer window for Chelsea. Kenedy hasn’t quite fulfilled his potential and is sent out on loan. Meanwhile they bring in Lukasz Teoodorcyzk from Anderlecht. They haven’t spent very much money so I don’t know if one of these is a loan deal or maybe they don’t have long left on their contracts. Unexpected frugality from Chelsea.
Chelsea finished in second place
Simming ahead to May and Chelsea have finished second in the Premier League. They were beaten to the title by five points but the race for Champions League places was a lot closer. In just four seasons, Chelsea are back in the Champions League.
However, Chelsea’s wait for silverware goes on as they were knocked out of the FA Cup in the early rounds. Bizarrely, they also lost the quarter final of the Carabao Cup to Derby.
Closing Thoughts
Four seasons in and I’m calling quits on this experiment. I completely expected Chelsea to ascend the leagues, but was surprised they did it in the minimum amount of time. No major silverware in that time will have been a blow to them, but other than that they are back on track. They seem to have kept their star players, who have progressed nicely due to consistently being in good form. Next season they would be back in the Champions League and would have a good transfer budget due to the Premier League prize money.
I have plans for other experiments, to test the career mode framework. I’m keeping quiet for now as I have some other guides to write but I’ll add them soon. The ones I have planned should be a bit more disruptive than this one.
This year Black Friday falls on Friday 24th November.
Originally a one-day event just after Thanksgiving to mark the start of the holiday shopping season, Black Friday has since turned into a multi-day event and has become much more prominent in the UK.
Black Friday 2017 is set to to be the best yet so we’ll be posting any great deals we find here for FIFA 18 or console bundle deals. All the other sites and newspaper blogs will be posting absolute everything (crap deals included), so this is the best place to be if you’re only looking for deals on FIFA 18 console bundle deals or just the game.
We’ll also have posts with all the best Christmas Deals for FIFA 18, but Black Friday is a safe bet if you’re looking to get the game a bit earlier.
In an effort to outdo each other, retailers tend to post their black friday deals early. This post will be live throughout November so we don’t miss any early deals on FIFA 18.
Note: if you’re unsure about the different editions of FIFA 18 and which one you should buy, check out our handy guide.
FIFA 18 on PS4
Check back here nearer to Black Friday 2017 for the best deals on this game.
This is the latest game in the series by EA SPORTS and was released worldwide on 29th September 2017. FIFA is the most popular football game for consoles worldwide, so FIFA 18 was highly anticipated due to a whole host of new features and improvements.
Using the Frostbite game engine and Real Player Motion Technology, FIFA 18 is the most realistic version of the game ever made. All the usual game modes are present in FIFA 18, including the return of The Journey.
FIFA 18 is available to play on Xbox One, PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch as well as legacy consoles PS3 and Xbox 360. Not only that but there are three different versions or ‘editions’ of the game to buy, which is confusing a lot of people. I’ve written a short guide on the differences between them for you.
FIFA 18 Standard Edition
The box or cover artwork for this game should look like the image shown here. It should read ‘FIFA 18’ (Don’t buy FIFA 17 by accident!) and have Cristiano Ronaldo on the front.
Calling it FIFA 18 ‘Standard Edition’ makes it sound boring and like you are missing out on something. Don’t be fooled by the name, ‘Standard Edition’ is the core game with no added extras. This version will still give you access to all of the following game modes:
Head to Head – against the computer or a friend
Career Mode – manage a club or be an individual player
FIFA Ultimate Team – build your ultimate team from the world’s best players and compete online
The Journey: Hunter Returns – the sequel to the hugely popular story mode from FIFA 17
FIFA 18 Ronaldo Edition
This game looks almost identical to the Standard Edition but has a small banner along the top that says ‘Ronaldo Edition’. The other thing that you’re likely to notice is the difference in price. This version is typically priced between £80-90.
FIFA 18 Ronaldo Edition is mainly a pre-order version of the game so that players could start playing the game three days early. However, FIFA 18 was released on 29th September 2017 so the early access is pointless by now.
It is still the same game as the Standard Edition, with all the same game modes available to play. There are two additional extras with the Ronaldo Edition however. Firstly, it includes a code that can be redeemed for 3000 FIFA points. These are basically an in-game currency that can be spent in the Ultimate Team game mode. The approximate cost of 3000 FIFA points would be around £21 if you were to buy them separately.
The second bonus add on is also for Ultimate Team. You’ll receive an on loan FUT ICON player for 3 matches.
FIFA 18 ICON Edition
The ICON Edition of FIFA 18 looks completely different to the other two. Although it will still have FIFA 18 printed across the front, it will be mostly gold and features ex-Brazil star Ronaldo (not Cristiano Ronaldo).
This version also has a significantly higher price tag (£80-90) compared to the Standard Edition but has the most add ons.
Again, it still contains the core game so all game modes are playable. In addition to this, you’ll receive one FUT ICON player on loan for 3 matches for Ultimate Team. You’ll also receive a redeemable code for 8000 FIFA points (nearly 3x what you get in the Ronaldo Edition). The approximate value of 8000 FIFA points would be around £55 if you were to buy them separately.
FIFA 18 Editions: Which one should you buy?
If you’re unsure over which of the FIFA 18 editions you should buy, hopefully this has given you a bit of clarity. The table below shows the key differences in their simplest form.
[table id=13 /]
The decision should boil down to the following question.
Are you, or the person you’re buying the game for going to spend £40 or more on FIFA Points for Ultimate Team?
YES – you’ll save some money buying the ICON Edition.
NO – stick with the Standard Edition.
If you’re unsure, buy the Standard Edition – FIFA points can always be purchased separately.
When you start a new Career Mode on FIFA 18, it’s likely you’ll want to configure the European Competitions. Adding a little realism always makes this game mode a lot better. However, it’s impossible to get the teams and groups perfect due to certain countries being absent from the game. This guide will show you how to get the most accurate Champions League Groups as well as for the Europa League.
UPDATE: On some devices the screenshots aren’t wonderfully clear so I have detailed all groups in the text to make things easier for you.
Getting Started
Once in Career Mode, you’ll select Manager Career and then pick the team you’d like to manage. After that you set your manager preferences and then you’ll get to career settings. Along with all the other choices, you’ll have the option to turn on European competitions in the first season.
Once you’ve select this option you’ll be shown the screen below.
Pressing square/X will add teams into the groups at random.
Pressing square/X one more time will redraw the teams but with ‘realistic participants’. This is what the Champions Cup (Champions League) will look like.
‘Realistic teams’ will also be drawn for the Euro League (Europa League), as you can see below.
Now it’s time to switch a few things around and make your career mode a little more realistic.
Champions League Groups
Whoops, I meant Champions Cup. Configuring this competition to accurately reflect the participants for the 2017/18 season is going to be relatively simple. This means we’re able to get to 90% accuracy with the setup shown below.
Only three 2017/18 Champions League teams are absent from the game. Qarabağ FK (Azerbaijan), NK Maribor (Slovenia) and Apoel Nicosia (Cyprus). This means group C, E and H aren’t quite perfect. Groups A, B, D, F and G are all exactly as they should be.
Once you’ve got FIFA’s ‘realistic’ configuration, 29 out of the 32 teams are already correct. You’ll be left with three teams that don’t belong, but you’re limited to switching to teams within the same league.
OGC Nice – switch to Troyes AC
Hoffenheim – switch to Stuttgart
Kobenhavn- switch to Hobro IK
This isn’t ideal, but we want to recreate the groups as best as possible. With regards to these three teams, it’s just about picking the lowest rated side in each league. Feel free to make changes, as long as groups C, E and H each have a ‘weaker’ team in them.
Once you’ve got the right teams, just switch them to the correct groups. The game won’t let you put two teams from the same country in the same group (even temporarily).
The final setup should be like this:
Group A
Benfica
CSKA Moscow
Manchester United
Basel
Group B
PSG
Bayern Munich
Celtic
Anderlecht
Group C
Chelsea
Roma
Atletico Madrid
Hobro IK
Group D
Barcelona
Juventus
Sporting
Olympiakos
Group E
Sevilla
Liverpool
Stuttgart
Spartak Moscow
Group F
Manchester City
Napoli
Shaktar Donetsk
Feyenoord
Group G
FC Porto
Monaco
Besiktas
RB Leipzig
Group H
Real Madrid
Borussia Dortmund
Tottenham Hotspur
Troyes AC
Europa League Groups
Referred to as the Euro League in game. This one presents more of a challenge than the Champions League groups because of the more varied countries involved. The official participants can be found here but with the setup below you’ll get to 62.5% accuracy.
As this one is a little more complicated I’ll give you a breakdown of the teams.
Panathinaikos – switch to AEK Athens
Poznan – switch to Z Lubin
Fenerbahce – switch to Alanyaspor
Krasnodar – switch to Tosno
Gent – switch to KAS Eupen
Girondins – switch to OGC Nice
Sion – switch to Young Boys
ODD – switch to Stromsgodset
Altach – switch to St Polten
Brondby – switch to Kobenhavn
Ajax – switch to NAC Breda
Freiburg – switch to Hoffenheim
Aberdeen – switch to Hamilton
CL Brugge – switch to Lokeren
Galatasaray – switch to Goztepe
PAOK – switch to HJK
Oostende – switch to Mouscron
Once again, just switch the teams around so they match the configuration in the image above/text below.
NOTE:If you’d like a more up to date version of this article for the latest game, check out the best free kick takers in FIFA 19.
Just like in real life, there are few things in FIFA 18 that are more satisfying that scoring a free kick. It’s often a challenge to even win a free kick, when you get one you better make it count. With that in mind I’ve compiled a list of the top 25 free kick takers in FIFA 18. This list is based on a custom ranking system using the three key attributes; Free Kick Accuracy, Curve and Shot Power.
25. Rasmus Elm
Kicking off our list is Kalmar FF’s Swedish midfielder Rasmus Elm. With free kick accuracy of 85 and 85 curve, his stats are great for a 75 overall rated player. His 78 shot power isn’t phenomenal but his accuracy and curve stats make him very reliable inside 25 yards. At 29 he’s not really one for the future but could be a solid squad player for your team.
24. Balazs Dzsudzsak
With 85 accuracy and 84 curve, he’d be below Elm in our ranking if not for his 84 shot power. Dzsudzsak plays for UEA club Al Wahda FC, but their absence from the game means he is conveniently a free agent. At 30 years old a 78 rated player with four star skill moves and weak foot ability could be a smart addition to your club. Bonus: He’s also a left footer.
23. José Sosa
Currently on loan at Trabzonspor from Milan, Sosa creeps into 23rd place here mainly for his ability to curve the ball (86). His accuracy is still very good at 85 but his 79 shot power lets him down a little. Another option to consider for close range free kicks though. If you’re not playing as Trabzonspor or Milan and are thinking about waiting around for him, be aware he is 32 in game so could start to decline (depending on how the game handles that this year).
22. Yaya Touré
He’s scored some pretty special efforts during his time with Manchester City so it’s not hugely surprising to see him make our list. Another player who is getting on a bit but still has great stats. His accuracy is very good at 86 and his 82 curve ability should see the ball around most walls. While I’ve not weighted shot power too heavily, his 86 rating can come in handy – I know lots of you are power free kick fans.
21. Selçuk İnan
At 32 years old, İnan might be dismissed by many career mode players as ‘too old’ but this list proves that the ability to strike a dead ball doesn’t disappear with age. Starting with shot power, a rating of 80 is solid, if not spectacular. His curve ability is slightly better at 83 but the number that gets him into this list is his 87 FK accuracy.
20. Lasse Schöne
Don’t be misled by the Ajax midfielder’s 77 overall rating, his dead ball stats are impressive. His 86 FK accuracy is very decent to start with, 85 curve and 83 shot power push him ahead of the previous contenders – a good all-rounder.
19. Christian Eriksen
While he’s currently going through something of a set piece dry spell for Spurs, his free kick ability on FIFA has remained steady. Just like last year, his 87 FK accuracy and 85 curve make him deadly from most areas outside the box. His shot power has actually increased to 80 this year (was 78 last year), so that’s an improvement at least. His overall rating has increased to 87 this year but his potential of 91 makes him an irresistible option for career mode this year.
18. Keisuke Honda
Honda is well known for his impressive set piece ability and this has been reflected in FIFA for years. He’s currently plying his trade in the Mexican league for Pachuca but could be a great option for your team – especially if you’re in need of a left footer. Excellent curve ability at 86 as you would expect for Honda, while his 86 accuracy is just below Eriksen’s. However, his 84 shot power makes him a little more versatile.
17. Gareth Bale
The Welsh Wizard is very adept at set pieces and watching his ‘knuckleball’ technique is just wonderful. Solid accuracy at 85 and his curve ability is even better at 86. What pushed him up to 17th place this year was his 91 shot power, not quite the highest in the game but comfortably highest on this list. He’s also a leftie, but I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that.
16. James Rodríguez
Another leftie, and great all round stats for the Colombian. FK accuracy of 86, 87 curve and 86 shot power are not to be sniffed at. 86 OVR currently but his 89 potential means those numbers could easily go up. The only issue with him is that he’s currently on a two year loan deal. So unless you’re playing as Madrid or Bayern, you’re not going to be able to get your hands on him until 2019.
15. Anderson Talisca
Another young player with bags of potential (84, he starts out at a respectable 79), Talisca could be a great addition to your club for the next few years. Left footed and boasting 86 curve, 84 shot power but most importantly 87 FK accuracy – this is the reason he edges in front of Rodríguez. Currently on loan at Beşiktaş from Benfica.
14. Wesley Sneijder
Always a name that comes up when debating players that never quite lived up to their potential, Sneijder still has bags of technical ability and this is reflected in his stats again this year. His 86 FK accuracy and 86 shot power means fiercely driven shots that regularly hit their mark. Add 88 curve ability into the mix and you can deceive even the best goalkeepers. Even though he is 33 at this point, a 83-rated CAM could be a great addition to most teams – as long as you’re not too reliant on pace.
13. Shunsuke Nakamura
Probably not a name you’re familiar with. Probably because he’s 39 years old and is only rated 71 overall. For those of you that haven’t already skipped to number 12, his shot power is pretty average at 79 but 88 FK accuracy and 87 curve is pretty incredible for a player of his overall rating. Providing you’re not managing a top side, Nakamura could be a great option from the bench.
12. Marvin Plattenhardt
In my opinion, Plattenhardt is one of the most interesting options on this list. Currently rated 78 but he has the potential to grow to 80 (or more), so a great option for a lot of mid-high level sides. His 79 shot power isn’t anything special, but 85 curve is great and 89 FK accuracy is even better. The cherry on the top? He’s a full back, which means he’s more likely to be on the pitch for the full 90 minutes compared to attacking players that people tend to sub more often.
11. Mehmet Ekici
The Turkish playmaker’s lowest stat of the three that we are focusing on is his 85 shot power. After that you should be interested in not only his 87 FK accuracy but also his 88 curve ability. That’s the highest curve rating on the list so far (tied with Wesley Sneijder). At 27 years old he’s not exactly one for the future but shouldn’t start declining yet either.
10. Memphis Depay
Blistering free kicks were part of the reason Depay looked like such an incredible player back in the Eredivisie. After a disappointing stint in the Premier League for Manchester United, he’s currently trying to get his career back on track at Lyon. If you’ve ever seen him strike a dead ball in real life you know that accuracy and power should be his two strengths, they both come in at an awesome 88. In comparison, his 85 curve ability will look a little low but is still very good. Currently 79 overall but a potential rating of 84 could see these stats rise even higher.
9. Sebastian Giovinco
The ex-Juve man has been with Toronto FC since 2015 and even at 30 years old, still possesses some great all round stats (including pace). His 79 shot power might be a turn off for you if you prefer the power free kick. However, his 89 FK accuracy and 86 curve make him a menacing opponent when standing over a set piece.
8. Sejad Salihović
If you’re willing to sacrifice FK accuracy a little for better all round FK stats, Salihović might be your man. His 87 accuracy isn’t quite as impressive as Giovinco’s, but his 89 curve ability is fantastic. He’s also better at powering the ball into the net with a shot power ability of 85. He’s no spring chicken, but whisking him away from the Bundesliga could be a good idea for a mid level side.
7. Gylfi Sigurðsson
The iceman cometh. After finally moving from the Liberty Stadium to Goodison Park, his set piece stats have improved slightly on last year. Although his 82 shot power is the least exciting of the three, 89 accuracy and 87 curve make him a very effective free kick specialist. You might also notice that the 83 potential he had last year is now gone, but he could still conceivably exceed that.
6. Miralem Pjanić
The Juventus midfielder is the first player on this list whose accuracy rating exceeds 90, his is 91. This is always the number to get excited about. Hitting the woodwork or having your shot saved isn’t great, but seeing an effort fly high and/or wide is just depressing. At least with the former there’s always a chance of a rebound. His curve ability is also good at 86, even if 78 shot power is a little disappointing.
5. Daniel Parejo
After telling you that FK accuracy is the most important, Parejo might seem like a step back with only a 90 rating. His 87 curve and 86 shot power is the reason he’s above Pjanić in this list. Side by side, +1 curve and +8 shot power more than makes up for -1 FK accuracy in my opinion. At 82 overall, he could be a smart transfer if you can convince Valencia to part with him.
4. Lionel Messi
A player who needs no introduction. A 90 FK accuracy rating might make you question why he’s ahead of Pjanić, but he also has 89 curve and 85 shot power. He’ll always be the superior option in career mode, even if it would take a huge offer to get him away from Barcelona. Not to mention the insane wage demands.
3. Dimitri Payet
Now found in Ligue 1 after forcing a move back to Olympique de Marseille. Payet is another player that has probably already reached his peak, but you might not care after seeing his stats. Don’t be too disappointed by his 78 shot power, you’ll get over it. FK accuracy of 91 and 80 curve is a fair representation of the man’s outrageous set piece ability.
2. Andrea Pirlo
No Pirlo, No Party. Do you even care if he’s 38? Truly a master of free kicks over his fantastic career, head over to YouTube for proof if you’re a bit young to remember. He won’t be splitting the crossbar in half with his 75 shot power, but precision is where he excels. His 93 FK accuracy and 92 curve is just incredible, more than enough to have defensive walls shuffling in anticipation.
1. Hakan Çalhanoğlu
Finally we arrive at #1 – Mr. Hakan Çalhanoğlu. After a three year stint at Bayer Leverkusen, he moved to AC Milan this summer. Only 23, rated 79 overall and with a potential of 83 – he represents a very attractive option in career mode. Equalling Pirlo’s impressive stats of 93 FK accuracy and 92 curve, he edges it on age/potential anyway. However, shot power is still useful in a lot of situations. His 87 rating rounds off his stats and makes him the number one free kick taker in the game.
Top Free Kick Takers: Closing Thoughts
I must say I was surprised to see Ronaldo’s stats means he’s some way off being included on this list. He’s not bad at free kicks, it just feels strange. Especially considering you take a free kick with Ronaldo the first time you boot the game up. Of course there will be other players that can grow (or be trained) into better FK takers. Perhaps I’ll save that for another post if there is enough interest.
