The best cards in FIFA 21 Ultimate Team

With the FIFA 21 Ultimate Team game cycle coming to an end, EA has been adding ridiculously great cards to the game that are arguably better than most of the Icons and even Team of the Year (TOTY) players so the player base can recycle their team. With that, the game has become as competitive as ever, given that many players can afford those end-game cards regardless of whether they’ve spent money on FIFA points.

To help people who don’t know where to spend their precious FUT coins, we’ve selected a few cards that are well worth their value. The criteria we’re using doesn’t simply look at the card’s overall rating, but at the sum of in-game stats (IGS) since we want to recommend cards that are well-rounded and can be used in more than one position. Weak foot and skill moves are also taken into consideration.

We won’t list cards that were obtainable only via SBCs since some people may have missed the opportunity to complete them and won’t be able to use the card. Objective cards that already expired at time of writing won’t be mentioned either.

Here are our picks for the best cards in FIFA 21 Ultimate Team.

11) Path to Glory Marcos Llorente 96-rated

Marcos Llorente is definitely one of the most used players in FIFA 21 Ultimate Team. His base gold card was great when the game was released and he gained three special cards from promos and two Informs throughout the game cycle.

His 89-rated Team of the Season (TOTS) card found success, but this is likely the ultimate version of Llorente in FIFA 21 Ultimate Team. It’s an easy card to link given that the game features dozen of good options for either Spanish or LaLiga players. Path to Glory Llorente has a total of 2,687 IGS and becomes nearly perfect with the engine or shadow chemistry style.

He was also changed to a right-back (RB), but EA didn’t touch his three-star weak foot and three-star skill moves. The lack of a better weak foot and set of skill moves is what placed Llorente at the bottom of our list. It’s a strong card that theoretically could play anywhere on the field, but you need that powerful weak foot and more skill move options upfront if you want to succeed in FUT Champions or Division Rivals.

10) Path to Glory Paul Pogba 95-rated

Pogba has received many special cards in FIFA 21 Ultimate Team like Llorente. But unlike the Spaniard, he’s never been a popular option among players this year because of his lack of acceleration, sprint speed, agility, and balance. These four stats are determinants for the game’s meta, which involves playing with agile players.

If you’re not someone who solely relies on Pace, though, this Path to Glory 95-rated version of Pogba might be appealing. This card has 2,640 IGS, five-star skill moves, and a four-star weak foot, which is great.

The reason we put this item toward the bottom of our list is because you can’t “fix” this card’s issues with a chemistry style. If you use the engine, for example, you’ll boost his Pace, Dribbling, and Passing, but his Defending will be lacking. If you go with the shadow, he’ll have great Pace and Defending, but his agility and balance will stay the same.

9) Path to Glory Georginio Wijnaldum 95-rated

Unlike Llorente and Pogba, Wijnaldum didn’t receive a lot of special cards during FIFA 21 Ultimate Team. His regular 85-rated gold card was a great one when the game launched, but he gained his first promo card in December with the Road to the Final (RTTF) promotion.

This 95-rated Path to Glory version is everything you want from a midfielder. You can find plenty of useful links from the Netherlands or the Premier League, which makes Wijnaldum an even better option for your Ultimate Team. He has a four-star weak foot and four-star skill moves, which is good enough for a box-to-box center midfielder who can contribute on both ends of the pitch. Path to Glory Wijnaldum has 2,647 IGS and becomes even better with the shadow or anchor chemistry style.

8) Summer Stars Kevin De Bruyne 98-rated

This De Bruyne card has 2,669 IGS, four-star skill moves, and a five-star weak foot. It becomes a nearly perfect card with the guardian chemistry style, which will enhance both his Dribbling and Defending stats. You also won’t have any trouble linking him since he plays in the Premier League and is from Belgium, a league and country with lots of special cards in FIFA 21 Ultimate Team.

The only issue with this card is that EA changed his position to right forward (RF), so you can’t play him in central spots like striker (ST), center forward (CF), center midfielder (CM), or center defensive midfielder (CDM) without sacrificing some chemistry points. If you want to make the best out of this card, we’d recommend starting him on the wing so he gets 10 chemistry and switch him to a central position when the game starts.

7) Path to Glory Roberto Firmino 99-rated

You’re probably asking why we put a 99-rated card in the middle of our list. Firmino is an awesome card if you’re in need of an ST, a center-attacking midfielder (CAM), or a winger. But he’s nowhere near as versatile as the higher-ranked cards on our list, featuring players who can basically play anywhere on the field if you want to.

The reason for that is because EA gave him just 72 Defending, which is weird considering that FUT Freeze Firmino had 86 Defending. There’s no way that you can make his Path to Glory 99-rated card defend well, even if you choose a chemistry style that focuses on Defending. But if you want to play him on offense, go for it. His 2,642 IGS, five-star skill moves, and four-star weak foot won’t let you down when attacking.

6) TOTY Bruno Fernandes 97-rated

From this card on, all of the players on our list are great no matter where you play them. TOTY Fernandes was released in January and still is one of the best cards available in the game. He has a total of 2,671 IGS and is reasonably good at defending once you apply the anchor chemistry style to boost his Pace, Defending, and Physical stats.

With the anchor, you can play TOTY Fernandes as a reliable box-to-box midfielder, given that he also has high/high defensive and attacking work rates. He’s fairly easy to link because he plays in the Premier League and is from Portugal, a league and country with dozens of end-game cards.

5) Summer Stars Luka Modrić 97-rated

The Croatian midfielder only became a meta option toward the end of the game cycle when EA gave him a FUT Birthday 92-rated card in April and boosted his Pace. This Summer Stars version went several steps forward and transformed Modrić into a complete package. He has 2,715 IGS, four-star skill moves and weak foot, and becomes even better with the anchor chemistry style, which will enhance his Pace, Defending, and Physical even further.

The only downside to Summer Stars Modrić is linking him. There aren’t any Croatian cards as good as him, so you’ll have to either play with some Icons or LaLiga players in your Ultimate Team, which isn’t the worst. This card also didn’t make it into the top four because all of the next cards have five-star skill moves and weak foot.

4) FUTTIES Youcef Atal 94-rated

FUTTIES Atal’s 94-rated version is arguably the best objectives card to be released in the history of Ultimate Team. He’s a CM, which means you can transform him into an ST, CAM, or CDM if you want to. But we recommend playing him upfront because of the five-star skill moves and his five-star weak foot, a deadly combo for attacking players.

This card has no flaws and you can enhance him the way you want with all of the chemistry styles. This 94-rated FUTTIES version of Atal has 2,690 IGS and his objectives will be live until Aug. 21, which gives players plenty of time to complete and earn the card. The only reason he’s not at the top of the list is that he’s from Algeria, which doesn’t offer great links at this stage in the game, meaning you’ll have to either play Atal around some Icons or Ligue 1 players. The free aspect of this card is great for some players, but not everyone will be keen on grinding objectives at the end of the game cycle.

3) Path to Glory Leandro Paredes 96-rated

Perhaps EA didn’t intend on making Paredes so great, but Argentina kept winning in Copa America and he received all of the possible upgrades, including five-star skill moves and weak foot after Argentina beat Brazil in the grand final. Before this card, the Paris Saint-Germain player only had a 79-rated gold card and an 82-rated Inform.

Paredes has everything you need out of a player at this stage in FIFA 21 Ultimate Team. He has 2,695 IGS and becomes nearly perfect with the finisher chemistry style, which will give him a much-needed upgrade in finishing, agility, and balance. He’s behind two players on this list because you can’t play him in a central position without sacrificing some chemistry, so we’d advise you to start him as an RB on 10 chemistry and move him to the midfield when the game starts.

2) Path to Glory Marco Verratti 98-rated

Verratti’s gold cards have been the ultimate form of fodder for years because of his lack of Pace, but EA did a great job this year in making him usable through promo cards. He gained a good FUT Freeze version in December 2020 and his Path to Glory card became one of the best items in the game after Italy won the Euro Cup against England, providing several updates.

This card has 2,729 IGS and becomes even better with the anchor chemistry style, which will give him small boosts in Pace, Defending, and Physical, including a +10 in strength, which is crucial given that Verratti is just 5-foot-5. Since Path to Glory Verratti is a CM, you can transform him into a CDM or ST with the position modifier, depending on how you want to use him, and start him in a central position with perfect chemistry.

1) Path to Glory Marcos Acuña 98-rated

This version of Acuña is hands down the best card in FIFA 21 Ultimate Team at the moment. With the gladiator chemistry style, he only has two stats below 90 overall: heading accuracy and jumping. But that isn’t too relevant for a player who you shouldn’t play as a center back (CB) given that he’s too good at attacking to just stay in the back.

He has 2,761 IGS, five-star skill moves and weak foot, plus high/high work rates, which makes him a machine down the pitch and slightly better than Verratti, who has high/medium work rates. Path to Glory Acuña is worth every single FUT coin and he’ll always be one of the best cards in Ultimate Team.