FIFA 22 Midfielders: Fastest Central Midfielders (CMs)

FIFA gameplay famously favours players with pace more than any other attribute, and owning central midfielders who can effectively shuttle between boxes and match the pace of opposing attackers is vital if you’re to avoid getting overrun and outplayed in midfield.

Choosing the fastest central midfielders in FIFA 22

This article focuses upon the fastest central midfielders (CMs) in the game with Marcos Llorente, Marcelino Moreno, and Latif Blessing being amongst the quickest in FIFA 22.

We have ranked these pace merchants based on their pace rating and the fact that their favoured position is at central midfield (CM).

At the bottom of the article, you’ll find a full list of all the fastest CMs in FIFA 22.

1. Marcelino Moreno (74 OVR – 76 POT)

Team: Atlanta United
Age: 26
Wage: £8,000 p/w
Value: £5 million
Best Attributes: 93 Agility, 91 Acceleration, 90 Balance

Marcelino Moreno holds the mantle of being the quickest central midfielder on FIFA 22, with his 91 acceleration and 87 sprint speed enough to cause any opposition player trouble.

Atlanta United’s Argentinian playmaker provides his side with serious pace, but also the skillset to decimate defenders with the ball at his feet. Combine his raw pace with 93 agility, 81 dribbling, and five-star skill moves, and Moreno profiles as one of the most overpowered midfielders you can use in-game.

With a £6.8 million release clause in Career Mode, Moreno is a suitable signing for an array of potential managers at all levels in the game and given his scintillating form in the MLS – where he scored on nine occasions and assisted five more times in only 32 games – his popularity amongst managers in real life is set to rise significantly.

2. Marcos Llorente (86 OVR – 89 POT)

Team: Atlético Madrid
Age: 26
Wage: £95,000 p/w
Value: £88 million
Best Attributes: 90 Sprint Speed, 90 Stamina, 87 Attacking Positioning

Marcos Llorente is an incredibly well-rounded midfielder, but his 90 sprint speed and 86 acceleration is what truly makes the dynamic Spaniard a special footballer.

Llorente has attributes most central midfielders could only dream of. His pace, 90 stamina, 86 short passing, 87 attacking positioning, 86 vision, and 80 standing tackle highlight Llorente as an immense physical, technical, attacking, and defensive figure at the heart of Atlético Madrid’s world-class midfield.

At 26 years of age, Llorente is only now approaching his physical peak, and his whopping £160.8 million release clause in FIFA 22 reflects how positive his development at Atlético Madrid has been over the past two seasons after they signed him from local rivals Real Madrid for £27 million.

3. Latif Blessing (71 OVR – 75 POT)

Team: Los Angeles FC
Age: 24
Wage: £5,000 p/w
Value: £2.7 million
Best Attributes: 90 Agility, 88 Acceleration, 87 Stamina

Ratings of 88 acceleration twinned with 85 sprint speed give Latif Blessing the mobility to operate as a highly energetic central midfielder and right back in the MLS.

The Ghanaian’s greatest qualities are arguably his pace and endurance, although Blessing does still have the technical attributes to perform admirably in the central midfield. 75 dribbling and short passing suggests Blessing can either dribble or pass his way through the opposition’s press in-game.

After beginning his professional career in his native Ghana, Sporting Kansas City took a chance on Blessing prior to the 2017 draft where he was drafted by Californian outfit Los Angeles FC. Since being drafted, Blessing has been a standout player for LAFC, notching a goal contribution once every four games which is a decent return from the centre of midfield.

4. Federico Valverde (83 OVR – 89 POT)

Team: Real Madrid
Age: 22
Wage: £160,000 p/w
Value: £58 million
Best Attributes: 90 Sprint Speed, 86 Stamina, 85 Short Passing

Uruguay’s precocious box-to-box talent has emerged as one of La Liga’s finest midfielders and that’s in no small part due to his speed, which FIFA 22 rates at 90 sprint speed and 82 acceleration.

Real Madrid consistently profit from Valverde’s mobility in midfield, but it’s his playmaking and defensive abilities which truly shift games in their favour when he starts. 85 short passing and 84 long passing means Valverde can dissect teams with a single pass and cut out opposition efforts with 81 interceptions and 80 standing tackle.

At only 22, the sky is the limit for Valverde, who could be a potential centurion for the Uruguayan national side given the fact he’s already played 35 times for his country and has at least another decade at the highest level both internationally and domestically. In FIFA 22, Valverde is a dream to use with high work rates, but only the richest clubs will be able to use him with his release clause standing at £112.2 million.

5. Alejo Antilef (66 OVR – 75 POT)

Team: Arsenal De Sarandí
Age: 22
Wage: £3,000 p/w
Value: £1.9 million
Best Attributes: 86 Acceleration, 84 Sprint Speed, 84 Agility

He may not be the most highly rated central midfielder in this list, but Arsenal De Sarandí’s Alejo Antilef’s 86 acceleration and 84 sprint speed sets him apart from the vast majority of playmakers in the game.

75 dribbling and 73 curve in-game makes Antilef a decent technician whose ability allows him to influence the game in advanced areas of the pitch, which is complemented by his high attacking work rate.

An ideal signing if you’re managing a smaller team in your save, you can pick up the young Argentinian for £2.7 million and his wages will be very affordable too. Arsenal De Sarandi may be less keen to sell Antilef in real life given he came through the club’s youth academy and has never played a professional game for another side since his debut in 2017.

6. Horacio Orzán (69 OVR – 69 POT)

Team: FBC Melgar
Age: 33
Wage: £500 p/w
Value: £850k
Best Attributes: 85 Sprint Speed, 82 Acceleration, 80 Stamina

A seasoned veteran at 33 years old, Horacio Orzán has pace that you absolutely wouldn’t expect from a central midfielder approaching the twilight of his career, with 85 sprint speed and 82 acceleration allowing him to outpace his opponents in the Peruvian Primera División.

Orzán is quietly competent in all facets of midfield play. 75 vision and 73 short passing allows him to create chances from open play, 68 free kick accuracy is more than usable from dead ball situations, and 69 aggression and 62 interceptions means he can contribute defensively too.

In Career Mode there will be better options to sign long-term, but there is no doubting the Argentinian journeyman’s experience considering he has played for eight different sides across four different South American nations in his decade-long professional career.

7. Nicolás De La Cruz (79 OVR – 84 POT)

Team: River Plate
Age: 24
Wage: £19,000 p/w
Value: £26.5 million
Best Attributes: 92 Stamina, 92 Agility, 88 Aggression

De La Cruz has athleticism that you rarely find in the centre of midfield, and his acceleration and sprint speed ratings of 86 and 83 respectively represent just one side of his physical gifts.

Four-star weak foot and skill moves alongside player specialties of engine and acrobat make De La Cruz a special find in FIFA 22. When you consider he has 92 stamina, 84 curve, 81 dribbling, and 80 short passing, the Uruguayan is not only a phenomenal attacking option, but one of the more underrated players in this year’s game.

Starting Career Mode saves at River Plate, De La Cruz is affordable for bigger clubs with a release clause of £33.6 million. At 24 he still hasn’t hit his peak in-game, and the same is true in real life with De La Cruz only becoming more and more productive for River Plate over the last few seasons since he arrived from his boyhood Uruguayan club Liverpool FC.

All of the fastest CMs on FIFA 22

In the table below, you’ll find all of the quickest CMs in FIFA 22, sorted by their pace rating.

If you want the fastest CMs to dominate in your FIFA 22 save look no further than the list provided above.