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Pace is, and pretty much always has been, the most important stat on a player in FIFA Ultimate Team. Even players with terrible stats elsewhere will get picked up at the start of the game thanks to their pace.
In celebration of FIFA's broken mechanics, here's a look at the top fastest FIFA 22 players that have been announced/released so far.
Kyle Walker - 92 Pace
Walker's pace is unchanged from last season and fair enough: he's absolutely rapid. There was a seriously problematic meta issue in FIFA 21 where Walker would often appear in a central defensive role just because of his sheer pace.
EA has apparently addressed this in FIFA 22 with a better balance for players who are out of position. Regardless, Walker is still a top early game Premier League defender.
Ferland Mendy - 92 Pace
Mendy's another full back that is pretty much unchanged compared to FIFA 21. His FIFA 22 card maintains that solid 92 Pace that saw him present in player's Ultimate Teams throughout the game, but this year he also receives a boost to his defending...yep, 82 to 84.
His card is even better this year. Prepare yourselves to see Mendy in every Weekend League team for the next six months.
Kingsley Coman - 93 Pace
Coman, the rapid, technical left midfielder for Bayern, retains his 93 Pace from the previous FIFA, but it comes alongside a card with some upgrades in key areas.
Look, Coman's passing still isn't brilliant (79) and his shooting isn't that great either (76), but his 88 Dribbling and 93 Pace more than make up for it, especially during the first few weeks of the game.
Theo Hernandez - 93 Pace
Hernandez gets a massive boost from his 80 rated card in FIFA 21. He's now 84 rated and even comes with an extra point in pace -- his base card is always expensive at the start of Ultimate Team, but it'll probably be even more expensive this year.
His stats have seen some positive boosts across the board: plus three in dribbling, up to 81; plus five in physicals, up to 82, and plus four to dribbling, up to 81. A deadly card. Not to be ignored.
Rafa - 94 Pace
Downgraded from an 83 to an 82, Rafa is a little on the worse side compared to his FIFA 21 card, but he retains that blistering 94 Pace.
Rafa wasn't a super popular card due to the generally low stats across the board, and with a point reduction in dribbling, he won't be any more popular this year.
Daniel James - 95 Pace
Daniel James has made a positive move to Leeds United after struggling to get minutes in what is a stacked Manchester United side. His FIFA 22 card is pretty much identical to last year's FIFA, except he's got an extra point in passing.
James retains that incredible 95 Pace that he's well-known for. Might very well be a bargain player for the start of Ultimate Team, especially thanks to his potential links to Raphinha and other Prem players.
Achraf Hakimi - 95 Pace
FIFA 20 Hakimi was 80 rated and playing at Dortmund, FIFA 21 Hakimi was 83 rated and playing at Inter, and FIFA 22 Hakimi is 85 rated, playing at PSG with Messi, Mbappe, and Neymar. Talk about progress.
Hakimi's card looks pretty special this year -- he's got an OTW as well, by the way -- with 95 Pace and 83 Dribbling, as well as solid defensive stats that will be just about good enough for the start of Ultimate Team. Could be an expensive card.
Vinicius Junior - 95 Pace
Vinicus Junior had an absolutely fine season with Real Madrid last year, playing 49 matches and scoring 9, assisting 7 more. He ended FIFA 21 with a vicious (get it?) 97 rated card.
FIFA 22's Vinicius retains his 95 Pace and receives a small upgrade to his shooting, up by a single point, and an extra point in dribbling. A totally reasonable beginner card for a La Liga squad.
Alphonso Davies - 96 Pace
Davies' 82 rating doesn't seem all that right. The term used is "robbed." However, he does have 96 Pace, which means this left back card is going to costs a few hundred thousand coins at the start of FIFA. Probably.
His card is only marginally better than his FIFA 21 card. He's got an extra point in passing, defending, and physical, but bonus stats or not...he's still going to cost you a lot.
Kylian Mbappe - 97 Pace
Mbappe's FIFA 22 card is just ridiculous. He's up one rating from 90 to 91, and that converts into an extra point in pace, two extra points in shooting, two more for passing, an extra dribbling point, an extra point in physicals.
If you thought Mbappe was a nightmare in FIFA 21, it's gonna be a whole lot worse. Good luck -- may your packs be full of Mbappes.