A new year means a new career inEA Sports FC 25as you embark on a journey to guide a club of your choosing on the path to success. Once you choose a team worthy of your talents to lead, you’re tasked with monitoring the day-to-day operations, including managing your squad and making the appropriate transfers to improve the team.
The fullback (left-back and right-back) position has been revolutionized by Trent-Alexander Arnold, Alphonso Davies, and the new guard of offensively-minded defenders. While you should still value your right-back’s defensive skills, it’s important to remember that they’re important contributors to your offense. A good right-back is hard to find, but adding one to your team can lead to a massive improvement.
86
If you’ve locked up yourleft-back position with a high-potential starand need a reliable right-back to shore up your flank, then you won’t find many better ready-to-play options than Carvajal, as the Real Madrid star firmly meets his 86 potential at the start of career mode.
As a 32-year-old player, Carvajal is a short-term solutionif you’re in a bind, but he won’t remain in your team for more than a few seasons if you’re aiming to grow a young squad. Since he’s on an expiring contract, you could also let Carvajal walk away if you don’t extend him long-term; keep that in mind if you plan to keep him.
If you like the idea of Carvajal’s quality without investing years developing a player, thenJoshua Kimmichis a slightly superior choice to Carvajal given that heboasts the ability to play in different positions and is three years younger.
While age isn’t the only factor, it determines how many quality years you may expect from the player, asolder footballers will decline as time goes on unless you change this settingat the start of your Career Mode.
As a bonus, if you decide to buy a younger right-back to replace Kimmich, he won’t be surplus to requirements as he can alsodo a job as a center midfielder,excelling thanks to his88 Passing attribute.
83
Pedro Porro is an excellent player to aim for if you want someone capable of helping you win games immediately, while also boasting a decent amount of room for growth, as he begins at 25 years old. His height is his biggest pitfall, but Porro offerswell-rounded abilitiesthat you can mold to fit your team.
Porro’s starting 82 Pace, 80 Passing, 82 Dribbling, and 78 Defense are great places to start for a career mode, but he will need at least a season’s worth of work if you want him to grow toward the 85-86 range. Porro is an excellent all-around option but leaves much to be desired.
84
Achraf Hakimi is one of the best right-backs in EA FC 25 and can easilytransform your four-star sideinto one of the world’s best. At 25 years old, Hakimi is about to enter his prime, making hima hot commodity to land before he reaches his potentialby the end of the first year.
With four stars in both his Skill Moves and weak foot, Hakimi should provide plenty of offensive contributions if you rely on his blistering 91 Pace to get into dangerous positions. His 80 Passing could use some refining if you want him to excel on the offensive side.
80
Despite having a lower starting overall rating than both Hakimi and Porro, Gusto’s potential barely beats out both of those star players. At 21 years old, Malo Gusto isan excellent option for a young team that has time to growbut wants some success to start.
Gusto is very quick, boasting 88 Pace, but hasn’t developed his technical qualities yet, so you need to invest in developing his skills from the start if you want him to become the perfect right-back. If you have some wiggle room, Gusto is an excellent choice for a team building for the future.
87
While he has already proven himself to be one of the best right-backs in world football, Trent Alexander-Arnold still has a little room to grow at 25 years old. His 86 starting rating can balloon up to 87, though TAA is already a superb player without improvement, as his90 Passing is already at an elite level.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to massively improve his 75 Pace, which is Trent’s biggest detriment, but improving his all-around defensive game will make him one of the best offensive contributors you’ll find at the position.
88
Ellie Carpenter sets the gold standard for right-backs on the women’s side of the sport, as the Lyon player begins career mode at 83 overall, but can quicklygrow to an 88 with the right development plan.Her youth is important as it gives her time to develop into a superstar, but Carpenter is good enough for any team to start.
Much like Pedro Porro, Carpenter boasts an incredibly even spread of attributes across the six major categories, leaving plenty of areas for general improvement. However, if you play the development cards right, Carpenter’s overall game will improve dramatically in a year or two.
85
89
Jules Kounde stands alone as the right-back with the highest potential in career mode, beginning at a solid 85 rating andboasting a staggering 89 potential.As another 25-year-old right-back, Kounde offers a direct comparison to players like Porro and Hakimi, who are slightly behind at the same points in their careers.
Kounde’s defensive expertise is emphasized as his most important quality from the start.
With 86 Defending and 80 Physical, Kounde is well-developed on the defensive side of the ball and can step into the starting lineup of any squad. He can even play centreback if you need him, but Kounde’s 5'11" frame is a bit short for that position.
