FIFA 22: Complete Goalkeeper Guide, Controls, Tips and Tricks

We’ve put together this guide to walk you through how to get the best out of goalkeepers in FIFA 22.

Author:

Ronan is a lover of the FIFA video games. He writes informative content about the best players available for gamers who’d like to build the ultimate team in FIFA’s career mode.

Published on: Oct 9, 2021 | Updated on: Jul 5, 2023

Contents

1 All FIFA 22 goalkeeper controls
2 Goalkeeper penalty controls on FIFA 22
3 Be a Pro & Pro Clubs goalkeeper controls on FIFA 22
4 How to control and move the keeper
5 How to save and dive for penalties in FIFA 22
6 1. Positioning
7 2. Closing down attackers
8 3. Timing your save
9 4. Watch the penalty taker’s head
10 5. Don’t be scared of not diving
11 What are the best goalkeeper traits?
12 Who is the best goalkeeper?
13 Who is the best wonderkid goalkeeper?

With goalkeepers dominating headlines in FIFA gameplay, it’s imperative that you master the art of goalkeeping if you want to succeed in FIFA 22.

Over the last couple of years, manually controlling goalkeepers has become more popular as more elite players attempt to outsmart their opponents and win one-on-one situations by using this high-risk, high-reward strategy.

In general, having a confident command of keeper controls is crucial if you want to diversify your gameplay, strengthen your defence, and improve your ability to play out from the back. So here, you’ll find everything that you need to now about using the goalie in FIFA 22.

You can also check out our article on shooting tips and tricks in our complete FIFA 23 shooting guide.

All FIFA 22 goalkeeper controls

Below, we’ve listed all of the goalkeeper controls on PlayStation and Xbox.

Goalkeeper Action	PlayStation (PS4/PS5) Controls	Xbox (Xbox One & Series X\|S) Controls
Switch to GK	TouchPad	View
Drop Ball	Triangle	Y
Pick Up Ball	R1	RB
Move Player	L	L
Sprint	R2 Hold Down + Direction	RT Hold Down + Direction
Move GK	R3 (Press and Hold) + R	R3 (Press and Hold) + R
GK Cover Far Post	R3 (Press and Hold)	R3 (Press and Hold)
Throw/Pass	X	A
Driven Throw/Pass	R1 + X	RB + A
Drop Kick	O or Square	B or X
Driven Kick	R1 + Square	R1 + X
Move GK	R3 (Press and Hold) + R	R3 (Press and Hold) + R
GK Cover Far Post	R3 (Press and Hold)	R3 (Press and Hold)

Goalkeeper penalty controls on FIFA 22

Penalty Controls	PlayStation	Xbox
Goalkeeper Move Side to Side	L (Direction)	L (Direction)
Goalkeeper Dive	R (Direction)	R (Direction)
Goalkeeper Taunts	X /O /Square / Triangle	A / B / X / Y

Be a Pro & Pro Clubs goalkeeper controls on FIFA 22

Be a Pro/Pro Clubs Controls	PlayStation	Xbox
Dive	R (Direction)	R (Direction)
Auto Positioning	L1 (Press + Hold)	LB (Press + Hold)
2nd Defender Contain	R1 (Press + Hold)	RB (Press + Hold)

In-game, it’s important to use these controls in the correct manner. If you perform certain actions at the wrong time, it could be disastrous as the keeper offers the very last line of defence.

How to control and move the keeper

To manually control your goalkeeper when your opponent has the ball and is closing in on goal, switch on to them (Touchpad/View), and move towards the ball carrier slightly (L + Direction). You’ll need to be aware that you could get chipped, so position yourself marginally towards the near or far post just as the opponent looks set to shoot.

At this point, dive (R + Direction) once the ballcarrier shoots to give yourself a better chance of saving the shot. This process will take time to master, so if you do want to elevate your shot-stopping game, you’ll need to practice a lot.

If you want to take more control of the keeper, or if you’re controlling the keeper in Pro Clubs, it’s recommend that you use the Auto Positioning function as much as possible to reduce positioning errors; this is the most common error that you’ll experience, and often the most costly as it makes goalscoring particularly easy for the opposition.

How to save and dive for penalties in FIFA 22

To save and dive for penalties in FIFA 22, you need to flick the right stick (R) in the direction that you want to dive. You can move the goalkeeper side to side using the left stick (L).

Below, we have some handy tips and tricks to help you to make saves.

1. Positioning

Positioning the keeper, both in open play and penalties, is absolutely crucial. In open play, if the ball is positioned wider than where the goalpost is, you should position yourself at the post nearest to the ball. However, if the ball is more central, like in a penalty scenario, you should stand centrally to force the attacker to place the ball either side of you.

2. Closing down attackers

In open gameplay, when in control of the entire team, if you hold Triangle/Y, the goalkeeper will run towards the opponent’s ball carrier. This is a great function to use because it reduces the opponent’s angle when shooting, often making lateral saves much easier and goalscoring much more difficult. Be careful, though, as coming out too far or too early leaves you susceptible to chip shots.

3. Timing your save

The best timing for saving shots, either for penalties or in open play, is to dive (R + direction) just before the opponent is about to shoot. During penalty shoot-outs, this is the optimum time to dive as it will give you an animation that covers the most amount of distance and makes scoring the penalty very difficult. Watch out for penalty takers stuttering, though, as this may make you mistime your save and reduce your chances of keeping the ball out of the net.

4. Watch the penalty taker’s head

It’s hard to guess where the opponent is placing their penalty, but the best sign is often where the penalty taker’s head is facing. Some players can trick you by faking head movement, although usually this is a great indication of where you can expect the ball to go. It’s worth looking out for at the very least.

5. Don’t be scared of not diving

Timing dives and watching head movement are key to saving penalties, however, don’t forget that with Panenka (chipped) penalties and centrally placed penalties, you’ll want to just stay central and not dive at all. This can be a risky strategy if the penalty is placed to either side as you won’t be able to stop it going in, but this is still a very legitimate save technique that you shouldn’t forget about.

What are the best goalkeeper traits?

Saves with Feet is considered the best keeper trait in FIFA 22 due to the special range of save animations that it gives the goalkeepers. Especially against low and driven shots, this trait is very useful as it reduces the scoring chances of opponents when, against keepers without the trait, they’d ordinarily score. It’s definitely a trait to look out for in FIFA 22.

Who is the best goalkeeper?

Atlético Madrid’s Jan Oblak is the best goalkeeper in FIFA 22 as his 91 overall rating eclipses other elite goalkeepers such as Manuel Neuer (90 OVR) and Marc-André ter Stegen (90 OVR).

Who is the best wonderkid goalkeeper?

In FIFA 22, Maarten Vandervoordt is the best wonderkid goalkeeper, with the 19-year-old boasting a very impressive 87 potential rating.

Whilst these goalkeeper controls and techniques will require some practice, they can be very effective in-game and can help to take your overall game to the next level.

Looking for wonderkids?

FIFA 22 Wonderkids: Best Young Right Backs (RB & RWB) to Sign in Career Mode

FIFA 22 Wonderkids: Best Young Left Backs (LB & LWB) to Sign in Career Mode

FIFA 22 Wonderkids: Best Young Centre Backs (CB) to Sign in Career Mode

FIFA 22 Wonderkids: Best Young Left Wingers (LW & LM) to Sign in Career Mode

FIFA 22 Wonderkids: Best Young Central Midfielders (CM) to Sign in Career Mode

FIFA 22 Wonderkids: Best Young Right Wingers (RW & RM) to Sign in Career Mode

FIFA 22 Wonderkids: Best Young Strikers (ST & CF) to Sign in Career Mode

FIFA 22 Wonderkids: Best Young Attacking Midfielders (CAM) to Sign in Career Mode

FIFA 22 Wonderkids: Best Young Defensive Midfielders (CDM) to Sign in Career Mode

FIFA 22 Wonderkids: Best Young Goalkeepers (GK) to Sign in Career Mode

FIFA 22 Wonderkids: Best Young English Players to Sign in Career Mode