That’s right! It’s that time of the year. As time passes, players on the field grow and evolve into more formidable opponents making the competition fierce and exciting. In this list, we’ve highlighted some of FIFA 23’s highest rated under 21 players that can be extremely valuable assets for your journey through multiplayer to dominance.
Their real-life significance, along with in-game ability, is highlighted in detail down below!
Pedri González López
85 OVERALL CENTRAL MIDFIELDER (FC Barcelona)
With an overall rating of 85, Pedri stands on top of the “Under 21” list. Pedri was able to sign up with Barcelona last year with a $1.57 billion release clause, which was a huge achievement second to him winning the Kopa trophy, awarded by France due to him being the best performing player under the age of 21. Currently, Pedri is regarded as one of the most promising players with his exceptional ball control, passing, and field awareness which puts him far ahead of his competition.
Pedri recently got attention from last years title – FIFA 22 where players noticed how valuable he is in midfield. The unique slim body frame and height lead to exceptionally high agility for Pedri, allowing FIFA players to cruise through defenses and create attacking opportunities. In FIFA 22, the Meta revolves around agile and physical players.
Although the Pedri card doesn’t contribute towards the physicality aspect, its dribbling, 4-star combo week foot/skill moves and perfect High / High work rates allow it to have a noticeable presence in the midfield. However, a defensive midfield pairing will be important to offset the lack of defensive ability by the card.
Jude Bellingham
84 OVERALL CENTRAL MIDFIELDER (Borussia Dortmund)
Jude Bellingham has shown promise in football for a big part of his career, starting at only the age of 8, and even competing in the under-18 category later on at the age of 14. Up until the COVID-19, Bellingham had made 32 league appearances and had gained enough confidence to mark him for a £20 million bid from Manchester United. The Championship Apprentice of the Year is rightly placed at an 84 overall, and is the second highest rated “Under 21” player in FIFA 23.
Bellingham is monstrous inside the FIFA game. A midfielder gifted with a huge body frame along with a 6’1 height. The reason behind Bellingham feeling so meta inside the game is that he is versatile in terms of his strong physicality and ability to dribble across the midfield.
This is a rare dynamic as often, a midfielder is either big and strong or agile and creative. Bellingham has a bit of both in his arsenal. His special cards were the most expensive midfield cards across the entirety of FIFA 22. It shows how much the base card composition and hidden attributes, such as the body type, matter inside the game. 4-star week foot/skill moves combo with again a High/High work rate make him the perfect pairing for the aforementioned Pedri card, a pair often used by Professional players inside FIFA 22.
Alphonso Davies
82 OVERALL LINEBACKER (Bayern München)
Alphonso was the youngest player to sign a USL contract at just the age of 15, after which he made his debut with the Whitecaps FC 2. Just one month later, he was able to score his first goal, making him the youngest scorer at just 15 years and 6 months. Currently, Davies is signed up with Bayern up until 2025. He is named one of the most talented young soccer talents, and the reflection of his skill can be seen in his 82 overall rating as a linebacker which makes him a must-have for FIFA 23 players.
The favorite left back for FIFA players – Davies is an example of what a LB needs to have in order to be effective inside the game. There are several senior LBs with high stats, but what makes Davies the prime choice for a good squad is his contribution to the attack. A High/Low Work rate player with sheer pace, one of the highest in the game, along with a highly agile body type. Davies helps beat pressure tactics commonly used by good players and helps in distributing the ball from the back.
The interesting thing about this card is its ability to defend despite low defensive stats. It makes you understand how little the actual stats matter when a card has a meta body type and work rate composition.
Florian Wirtz
82 OVERALL CENTRAL ATTACKING MIDFIELDER (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)
Florian is an up-and-coming German footballer making his way through the big leagues. Previously having played for the youth team 1. FC Köln, he was eventually signed up for Bayer Leverkusen in the January of 2020.
He’s making his way back into FIFA 23 with an overall rating of 82 as a midfielder. A decent starting squad player to use with average pace but high dribbling stats, which are essential for a midfielder. He also has the finishing stats in case you ever end up inside the box.
However, all in all, a basic and average player, only good for the first few days inside the game.
Bukayo Saka
82 OVERALL RIGHT MIDFIELDER (Arsenal)
Bukayo is an English footballer that plays as a Right Midfielder for Arsenal, with whom he initially started his senior career with. He went on to win an FA cup and an FA community shield, which made him a very influential player in Arsenal’s roster.
Saka, although average as a base card, has a lot of potential owing to his agile body type and dribbling ability. He is a rare link to many English Premier League players, and with chemistry now being tricky inside FIFA 23, he would be a good card to have in your arsenal.
However, as a base card itself, it is limited to what is considered as an average pace for a winger and 3-star week foot and skill moves which makes it a not so demanded card.
Jamal Musiala
81 OVERALL CENTRAL MIDFIELDER (Bayern München)
Musiala has had a prospering career for the past 3 years, as he went on to score his first goal of the season over Hertha BSC, and a Champions League goal against FC Barcelona. Moreover, he went on to give Bayern the victory that they deserved by his skillful strike in a 3-1 against Dortmund. Currently, at the age of 19, he’s a very young player showing a lot of promise as a Central Midfielder to those looking to fill the slot in their team.
Mediocre 75 pace, Med/Med work rates, and slim body profile means Musiala is not at all popular to use inside the FIFA titles. He is often low-priced and not incorporated into player squads. It shows no matter how gifted or influential a player is in real life, inside the video game, the meta attributes are all that matter.
Joško Gvardiol
81 OVERALL CENTER BACK (RB Leipzig)
Joško Gvardiol drew a lot of attention from European clubs, until he eventually signed up for RB Leipzig. Thanks to his contribution in Dinamo’s 2018-19 UEFA Youth League campaign, which allowed them to reach the quarter-finals. In 2019, Gvardiol was made a part of The Guardian’s Next Generation list, which is a great testimonial to his overall performance and ability to keep up with the big boys in FIFA 23.
When looking to build a solid defense, a fast-paced defender is a luxury that helps in catching loose balls, rectifying mistakes and chasing through balls.
Gvardiol satisfies that criterion with an 82 pace along with unique High/High work rate that works well together with both complacent and high-pressure defending being possible.
What’s unique about this card is the big physicality in terms of body type and height along with a fast pace which is rare in FIFA titles.
Rodrygo Silva de Goes (Real Madrid)
81 OVERALL RIGHT WINGER (Real Madrid)
Presenting the best finisher after Benzema, Rodrygo, entering the FIFA 23 soccer field with a nice 81 overall as a Right Winger. The Brazilian footballer started his career with Santos until eventually going to Real Madrid for a €45 million transfer.
Wingers in FIFA titles are all about sheer pace when we talk about the meta. However, Rodrygo provides a good balance with decent pace along with a well-balanced week foot and skill moves combo of 4 star. This aids in cutting inside with wings using meta skills such as Berba-spin and La-Croqueta. Moreover, there is a category of players with hidden stats, and special attributes, and Rodrygo fits into that with a noticeably high clinical finishing compared to similar or even better players.
Nuno Mendes
80 OVERALL LEFT BACK (Paris SG)
We’d like to argue that Nuno is a bit under-rated with the 80 overall rating, but what makes Nuno Mendes a prime choice among players? The chemistry links to widely used PSG players such as Neymar, Marquinhos, and Kimpembe. This is a common squad combination often seen in meta FUT Squads.
Apart from the chemistry links, the Mendes card has all the attributes to make a good LB – High pace, agile body type, and defensive ability. However, his height and weak physicality might cause trouble against players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Mbappe that use their strength to shield the ball and move past the defenders.
Jurriën Timber (Ajax)
80 OVERALL CENTER BACK (Ajax)
Timber’s card is rated at 80 overall which is a dramatic increase compared to his 75 in FIFA 22.
High-paced defenders are a delight to see for players, but they often come with a hefty price tag. That is not the case for Timber’s card that, due to weak links, is priced fairly low in the FIFA Transfer Market.
However, his mediocre body type and work rates might cause trouble in the defense every now and then. If paired with a defender with high defensive work rates and bulky body type, it would be a good combo.
Conclusion
In FIFA, one-word matters when it comes to winning, the meta. Particular average players like Dembele are highly used in FIFA just because of their desirable skill moves and weak foot composition, allowing players to exploit skill mechanics and open up defenses even though they aren’t that formidable in real life.
Hence, we hope this article gives you an idea of what to expect from the upcoming players and how well they function inside the game.
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