Pace is up there... but it's not number one.
We have come to accept the face player ratings as pure truths on FIFA games, but let me bestow some advice upon you now. Completely ignore them. What makes a good player these days hinges more on their in-game attributes so strap in - I’m going to take you through all 29 of them and rank them on their usefulness.
A quick mention for goalkeeping fans out there: look for speed and reflexes when choosing a keeper, and keep them over 6'2". If they are shorter check out their diving attribute. On the whole, goalkeepers have totally individual feels depending more on the player than their stats, so just experiment. On with the ratings!
29. Sliding Tackle
My least important attribute, the slide tackle has to be used carefully to be effective. For quick defenders, the usefulness factor rises, but a good standing tackle is far more important for a good defense.
The higher this stat, the more likely you are to come away with the ball and without giving away a foul. While on FIFA 20 it is still a little temperamental, a perfectly timed, goal-saving sliding tackle can feel better than things I will save for a different list.
Rating: 3/10
28. Aggression
While aggression can be useful for contesting headers and challenges, it comes with a lot of risks. Players with high aggression can give away penalties and other unnecessary fouls by just pressing a button at the wrong time.
This one measures the success of tackling and 50/50 jostling. Teamed with strength a player can push opponents off the ball in 1v1 situations.
Rating: 3.5/10
27. Volleys
Most of the lower-rated attributes on this list have ended up here because of their need to be paired with other attributes to be fully utilized. This one affects the power and accuracy of shots taken with the ball in the air.
Volleys provide us with some of the most beautiful goals on FIFA, but a player with good volleys needs to have high balance too to give his shots the best chance of hitting the target. A good chance on the volley comes around about as often as a Christian Benteke goal anyway. Sorry, Mr. Benteke.
Rating: 4/10
26. Long Passing
A player’s long passing attribute affects the speed and accuracy of their long, aerial passes. It does not affect crosses or passes along the ground, making this the least useful of all the passing attributes.
Lofted through balls are probably the most used type of pass that uses long passing, so you might look a little more closely at this attribute if you’re a counter-attacker.
Rating: 5/10
25. Curve
Curve isn’t really noticed in open play as it signifies the ability to curl the ball when passing and shooting. A good long shooter curve can be useful for open play shots, but it largely affects corners and free kicks.
Curling free kicks around the wall and out-swinging corners can be very useful as not everyone can master the techniques.
Rating: 5.5/10
24. Penalties
Possibly the most specific and obvious attribute of them all. Penalties - wait for it - measure a player’s accuracy from… penalties. This one gets a middling mark because while a good penalty taker can make the difference in a tight match it’s not an essential trait for your entire team.
If you play the Draft or other online modes that feature penalty shootouts it might be worth stockpiling takers, but not in sacrificing other attributes.
Rating: 6/10
23. Jumping
Like many attributes, jumping is used best when a player has high accompanying stats. The jumping attribute measures a player's quality and height of leap when going to head a ball. Strength, jumping and heading accuracy are key to a good header.
Tall players have a natural advantage with this one, and a huge center-back might not need incredible jumping if their related stats are high.
Rating: 6/10
22. Reactions
This one’s a wide-spread attribute. Reactions range from everything from the ability to hurdle a tackle when dribbling to sorting their feet out when a rebound attempt comes their way. It’s about the response time to a situation unfolding before him.
A good attribute for your wide players and forwards to enhance their dribbling and finishing stats. Think about who you’d rather have a rebound fall to, Lionel Messi or Christian Benteke. Sorry again Mr. Benteke.
Rating: 6/10
21. Interceptions
Another easy one. Interceptions apply mainly to your computer-controlled players and affect their ability to do something out of the ordinary to prevent passes getting through the midfield or defensive lines.
Using a good CDM with high interceptions they can cut passing lanes and break down counter attacks with the right tactics.
Rating: 6.5/10
20. Marking
Another defensive attribute that comes in handy when your defenders lack a bit of pace. Marking is useful for sticking close to attackers from crosses and set pieces, but it also comes in handy for tracking runs and stopping those crosses in the first place.
High marking keeps your AI teammates in contention for challenges, and for your controlled player it helps for containing opponents.
Rating: 7/10
19. Crossing
One that is very play-style specific. Crossing seems to go up and down in the FIFA meta with every other patch that comes out each year. It affects free-kicks and open play crosses: if your winger isn’t beating the first man consistently then they may need a crossing boost.
This grade will go up and down throughout the rest of the game, but even after the latest patch crossing remains a viable option of attack in FIFA 20.
Rating: 7/10
18. Heading Accuracy
This stat measures the accuracy of both shots and passes made from headers. While it may not seem as useful as some of the other attributes around it, heading accuracy gets this high based on its effectiveness at both ends of the pitch.
How likely your defenders are to get their head on a dangerous cross and how good your strikers are at putting the ball in the net both come under this stat.
Rating: 7/10
17. Free Kick Accuracy
Another contentious attribute, free kick accuracy depends entirely on your ability to work the new set-piece system. A high free-kick accuracy increases the likelihood your takers' free kicks will hit that top corner.
Put a player with high free-kick accuracy and curve on your direct free kicks - and practice, practice, practice! When a promising dead ball situation comes up you should be prepared to put it away.
Rating: 7/10
16. Vision
Vision is paramount for a long passer to find a teammate and kick off counters. With high vision a player sees more of the field and can spot plays others can't. It affects the probability of a successful pass.
Pack the midfield with high-end visionaries to set up attacks you might not otherwise be able to make.
Rating: 7/10
15. Shot Power
Shot power is a good attribute for all of your offensive positions. For midfielders with high long shots a good shot power rating is essential, and an elite shot power can help forwards with lower finishing to blast the ball past the goalkeeper.
It's the stat that means you won't balloon strikes out of the ground when trying to hit the ball as hard as possible.
Rating: 7.5/10
14. Long Shots
Speaking of long shots, they measure the accuracy of shots taken outside the area. As pointed out above, long shots plus shot power equals a deadly midfield threat.
Finesse shots from outside the area are still a powerful option in FIFA 20. And how annoyed do people get when you ping one in from 35 yards? And how good does it feel? Exactly.
Rating: 8/10
13. Positioning
Takes in a player's quality with finding themselves in good positions in the attacking areas in open play. Positioning affects the player's ability to find that extra yard in the box or elude a defender down the channels.
High positioning on your attackers means you'll see opportunities open up going forwards that wouldn't normally be afforded.
Rating: 8/10
12. Ball Control
Enabling a player to receive and keep possession while staying in control of the ball is a crucial trait to have. A player with high ball control is unlikely to let the ball run away from them when collecting a pass or using skill moves or no-touch dribbling.
It goes along with balance and strength when dribbling around a tackle. Ball control is a handy stat to look for midfielders and wingers.
Rating: 8/10
11. Composure
A player's ability to finish or make a successful pass under pressure depends on their composure rating. It measures the distance between a player and their opponent and affects the chance of an error.
Good composure is the difference between a poacher putting away a chance or a midfielder making a key pass through the defensive line.
Rating: 8/10
10. Standing Tackle
Into the top ten now with our final defending attribute. The standing tackle measures timing in the tackle as well as the ability to nudge and pull attackers off the ball without giving a foul away.
These days the standing tackle is the safest way to win back possession without risking cards or penalties. Doesn’t feel as good as the slide, but again, different list.
Rating: 8.5/10
9. Dribbling
It might seem low given some of the stats ahead of it but the dribbling attribute is just a small segment of the overall dribbling stat you see on a FUT card. The dribbling attribute comes in keeping the ball at the player's feet.
With four or five-star skill moves a player with high dribbling becomes one of the most sought after in the game. Just don’t overdo it. Think less Neymar, more Ronaldinho.
(See, I’m not just going after Mr. Benteke. No one is safe.)
Rating: 8.5/10
8. Balance
For me balance comes in behind only agility for how important it is in FIFA 20's physical stats. The two work together, balance jeeps a player upright and in possession when faced with a tight marker of heavy challenge.
Balance is key to a player being light and fluid on the ball, able to skip through tackles and escape treacherous situations.
Rating: 9/10
7. Strength
The higher the strength of a player, the higher the likelihood they come out on top in a duel for possession. A good strength rating is a key stat for defenders both in the air and on the ground.
Attackers can also benefit from high strength, in particular those who are target men as they can bring quicker, more skillful players into the game.
Rating: 9/10
6. Short Passing
Short passing determines the chance of a pass finding its target from close range. The accuracy and speed of the pass are factored into the player's short passing stat.
It has never been as important to have good passers in your team with the additions to the possession game added this year. Tiki Taka might not be winning Spain anything these days, but it sure does work on this video game.
Rating: 9/10
5. Acceleration
The rate a player goes from a standing start to top speed is influenced by their acceleration attribute. Players with high acceleration can burst past a defender or make up the ground to snuff out an attack.
As you'll see, acceleration alone doesn't make a player a speed demon, but it is half a job done.
Rating: 9.5/10
4. Sprint Speed
Both pace attributes were always going to be high on my list, and they get the same mark due to how entwined they are. Sprint speed reflects how fast the player runs when they reach their top speed. Duh.
With high sprint speed and acceleration a player is always a consideration, no matter the generation of FIFA. This will always be true for the rest of all time as we know it, so get used to it.
Rating: 9.5/10
3. Stamina
With the boom of Ultimate Team showing no signs of showing down stamina is a must-have on all your outfield players. It determines how quickly your players tire in the latter stages of a game, and a low stamina rate will see active players needing to be replaced early.
Stamina also ties into how long you can sprint before needing to recover, and how likely a player is to suffer injuries in any minute of a match.
Rating: 10/10
2. Finishing
The most important part of FIFA, like all football, is scoring goals. Finishing impacts any shots from inside the area - a higher finishing stat means a shot otherwise destined to head wide may find the corner, and an effort towards the center of goal might slide under the keeper.
High finishing may only apply to strikers but it is paramount to have a potent strikeforce to help you win tight encounters.
Rating: 10/10
1. Agility
Agility is my top tip for finding cheap hidden gems and stacking your team from front to back. It measures how quickly a player is to turn, move and dribble.
Defenders can reach teasing crosses, wingers can escape the last man, midfielders can twist away from trouble and strikers can find space in the box. Agility is the star of the in-game stats.
Rating: 10/10
I have no doubt this list will miss the mark for some readers. That’s why humans are great, right? So do tell me, what's your essential FIFA 20 attribute? The importance of some stats over others depends on your formation and play style, so take in the information as much as my rankings, and do sound off to let me know how wrong I am!
Also be sure to check out these articles:
- FIFA 20 Best Attacking Formations (Top 5 Strongest Attack Formations)
- [Top 10] FIFA 20 Best Attacking Teams
- [Top 15] FIFA 20 Best American Players Who Are Amazing
- [Top 15] FIFA 20 Best Players Who Are Amazing
- [Top 15] FIFA 20 Best Young Strikers Who Are Amazing
- [Top 15] FIFA 20 Best Young Defenders Who Are Amazing
- FIFA 20 Best Formations (Top 10 Strongest Formations)
- The 10 Best Football Games For PC
