How to perform a drag back in FIFA 21

You have to learn at least a few skill moves in FIFA games, whether it’s to beat your friends, online opponents, or just against the AI.

A well-done skill move helps you create space when on the attack—and the drag back is one of the best and easiest skill moves to perform. The dribbling move was quite overpowered in FIFA 20 and has undergone a slight tweak in FIFA 21.

The drag back consists of using one of your players to pull the ball back with the sole of their foot, which keeps the ball out of the reach of defenders. From there, you can move the ball to any direction by flicking it with your player’s foot.

Here’s what you need to do to perform a drag back in FIFA 21.

1. You need a player who has a minimum of two-star skill moves. Almost every player, at the least the most popular ones, have two or more stars.
2. You need to hold down the L1 and R1 bumpers (PlayStation 4) or the LB and RB bumpers (Xbox One).
3. Once you’ve done this, immediately pull back on the left thumbstick. This will move the ball in the opposite direction that your player was facing.
4. From there, you can move the left thumbstick again to flick the ball in any direction you want.

Once you master the drag back, you can pull off a fake drag back to confuse your opponent. Follow the second step above, but instead of pushing the thumbstick up or down, you need to push it back in the direction that your player was facing.