FIFA 22: Best Teams to Use, Rebuild, and Start with on Career Mode

Contents

1 Arsenal
2 FC Barcelona
3 Bayern Munich
4 Chelsea
5 Manchester United
6 Paris Saint-Germain

A new FIFA title means a new Career Mode save. Beyond playing with your favourite team, a Career Mode save can go in several directions depending on who you choose to manage.

The nuance of gameplay in FIFA each year leads to certain teams being greater than the sum of their parts and overall ratings. Their balance of youth, speed, skill, and budget make them ideal to dominate domestically and continentally.

For those looking for a project, a team that was once a powerhouse in their division, but has since fallen from the mountain top, provides a fun and immersive narrative. The rebuild experience will take time and require patience, but the payoff will bring back fond memories.

FIFA 22 may be the first time that some players will be venturing into the series or Career Mode. This article will include the two best teams to rebuild, the two best teams to use, and the two best teams for beginners on FIFA 22 Career Mode.

Arsenal

Attack: 83, Midfield: 81, Defence: 77
Overall: 83
Best Players: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (OVR 85), Bernd Leno (OVR 83), Thomas Partey (OVR 83)
Transfer Budget: £78.43 million
Wage Budget: £455,000

Few teams get given the nickname ‘The Invincibles,’ but Arsenal’s run of a whole Premier League season unbeaten in 2003/04 was a feat not achieved since Preston North End in 1888/89.

Under manager Arsène Wenger, Arsenal won the Premier League three times and the FA Cup seven times. The Gunners’ worst position under the Frenchman was sixth in 22 seasons. Since then, they haven’t finished higher than fifth, and for the first time in 25 years, they will not feature in Europe.

Last season, Arsenal finished eighth with manager Mikel Arteta coming under fire. Even after spending the most money on transfers this summer, their squad and expectations are outside of the top-four.

Arsenal have a transfer budget of £78.43m million and a wage budget of £455,000 – enough to bring in at least one decent player to improve the squad.

Arsenal’s young assets do look promising. Players such as Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Emile Smith Rowe, Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Martinelli are all 23-years-old and under, and collectively cover most positions on the pitch.

The Gunners’ higher-rated players, such as Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Nicolas Pepe, and Granit Xhaka, may provide value right now, but the question will be how much time should be given to the younger players to build for the future.

The pace of Aubameyang, now 32-years-old, is still lethal and will provide plenty of goals before his overall rating begins to diminish. The ever-stable Thomas Partey’s strength and ability in the middle of the park will also provide solidity in the short-term before you begin to consider moving him on.

FC Barcelona

Attack: 85, Midfield: 84, Defence: 80
Overall: 83
Best Players: Marc-André ter Stegen (OVR 90), Sergio Agüero (OVR 87), Frenkie de Jong (OVR 87)
Transfer Budget: £111.83 million
Wage Budget: £734,000

Few thought that Lionel Messi would leave the club that he’s played for all of his career. Still, with Messi’s departure now written into the history books, a new era has emerged at Barcelona, although, the transition may not be as smooth as the Catalans would have hoped.

Barcelona finished third in La Liga last season, their worst finish for 14 years. Without their talisman this year, the weight will be felt on the shoulders of their new signings. Memphis Depay, Luuk de Jong, and Sergio Agüero are the attacking players brought in to find the goals whilst Spanish centre back Eric García will look to solidify the defence.

Barcelona have a transfer budget of £111.83 million and a wage budget of £734,000. Breaking the £100 million-mark allows you to explore Messi’s replacements if you’re not satisfied with the current team.

The old guard of Gerard Piqué, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets are all 32-years-old or older and will need replacing in a season or two. You can include new signing Sergio Agüero in that category, too, as he’s now 33-year-old.

Barcelona have some young assets that are worth building around. The 18-year-old midfielder Pedri has an 81 overall rating and a 91 potential rating. Other players with a potential rating of 90 or higher include winger Ansu Fati (OVR 76), Frenkie de Jong (OVR 84), and Marc-André ter Stegen (OVR 90).

Bayern Munich

Attack: 92, Midfield: 85, Defence: 81
Overall: 84
Best Players: Robert Lewandowski (OVR 92), Manuel Neuer (OVR 90), Joshua Kimmich (OVR 89)
Transfer Budget: £99 million
Wage Budget: £411,000

Bayern Munich’s domination in the Bundesliga cannot be ignored. They’ve won the league for the last nine years and seem to have a habit of purchasing the best players from their Bundesliga rivals.

Bayern’s two big-money summer signings were from the team who came second in the Bundesliga last season. They purchased centre back Dayot Upamecano and Marcel Sabitzer from RB Leipzig for a combined £51.75 million.

Bayern Munich have a transfer budget of £99 million and a wage budget of £411,000. With an already loaded squad, the transfer budget may be best utilised for replacing ageing stars.

The German Giants are stacked with stars on FIFA 22, led by world-class forward Robert Lewandowski (OVR 92). The Polish international scored 48 goals in 40 games last season and has been in outstanding form over the last couple of seasons. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer joins Lewandowski with a 90-plus rating and Dayot Upamecano and Joshua Kimmich both have a potential rating of 90.

Lewandowski is the key to winning with the Bavarians. Although he isn’t the fastest striker in the game, he is a goal-scoring machine. Wingers Leroy Sané and Serge Gnabry provide the speed, and the midfield duo of Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich give solidarity in the middle of the park.

Chelsea

Attack: 84, Midfield: 86, Defence: 81
Overall: 84
Best Players: N’Golo Kanté (OVR 90), Romelu Lukaku (OVR 88), Thiago Silva (OVR 85)
Transfer Budget: £100.81 million
Wage Budget: £698,000

Chelsea were the underdogs against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the 2021 Champions League final. However, the London club came out victorious, winning their second Champions League trophy.

Chelsea have spent a significant amount of money in the last two summer transfer windows in an attempt to keep up with rivals Manchester City and Liverpool. German duo Kai Havertz and Timo Werner were drafted in along with Hakim Ziyech in 2020, but the most notable signing this summer was Romelu Lukaku for £103.5 million.

The Blues have a transfer budget of £100.81 million and a wage budget of £698,000. A new goalkeeper and a world-class midfielder are potential upgrades worth considering in Career Mode.

N’Golo Kanté is Chelsea’s best player on FIFA 22; the 30-year-old has a 90 overall rating. Other first-team players who are 30-years-old and will need replacing in the next couple of seasons are Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta, and Marcos Alonso.

Chelsea are one of the best Career Mode options due to their potential ability. Players such as Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, and Christian Pulisic are a lethal attacking midfield trio and 28-year-old star striker Romelu Lukaku still has many good years left in him.

Manchester United

Attack: 85, Midfield: 84, Defence: 83
Overall: 84
Best Players: Cristiano Ronaldo (OVR 91), Bruno Fernandes (OVR 88), Paul Pogba (OVR 87)
Transfer Budget: £163.63 million
Wage Budget: £629,000

World-renown Manchester United have won 20 Premier league titles to go along with three Champions League trophies. However, since Sir Alex Ferguson retirement, the Red Devils have failed to live up to the expectations the fans bestow on them.

The return of Cristiano Ronaldo and the signings of Jason Sancho and Raphaël Varane show that they mean business, but only time will tell if it’s enough to bring back the glory days.

Manchester United have a transfer budget of £163 million and a wage budget of £629,000. With a mammoth budget to utilise, the world is your oyster as you can bring in almost any talent.

For those less familiar with FIFA titles, the attraction of Cristiano Ronaldo alone makes United ideal for beginners. The frontman is supported by two electric English wide-men in Marcus Rashford and Jason Sancho, who provide the pace and excitement in attack.

Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba offer trickery in the middle of the park. The physical presence of Pobga allows you to not be outmuscled in midfield. The 89 long shots and 89 shot power of Bruno Fernandes provides ounces of fun outside of the box.

Paris Saint-Germain

Attack: 89, Midfield: 83, Defence: 85
Overall: 86
Best Players: Lionel Messi (OVR 93), Kylian Mbappé (OVR 91), Neymar Jr (OVR 91)
Transfer Budget: £137 million
Wage Budget: £557,000

Paris Saint-Germain completed the impossible this summer: luring Lionel Messi away from Barcelona. They also added Gianluigi Donnarumma, Sergio Ramos, and Achraf Hakimi in a sweep of world-class talent.

The fairly recent takeover of PSG has allowed them to win seven of nine league titles since 2013. Their league domination has not transferred to Champions League glory yet, though, as they haven’t won Europe’s premier club competition to date.

Paris Saint-Germain have a transfer budget of £137 million and a wage budget of £557,000. Dare it be said, a Messi replacement may be worth considering in the short-term to add further support in an already world-class midfield.

The front trio of Les Parisiens is unrivalled, with 93-rated Lionel Messi, 91-rated Neymar Jr, and 91-rated Kylian Mbappé being the stars of the show. They are all lightning-quick and can dribble through any defence.

As a Career Mode option, the 22-year-old duo of Gianluigi Donnarumma (OVR 89) and Kylian Mbappé (OVR 91) provide the best top and tail foundation in the world to build upon, but will you be able to take them to European glory?

Up for a challenge? Check out our list of the worst FIFA teams to play with.

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