Since the early days of FIFA Ultimate Team — commonly known as FUT— there have been players who’re extremely talented, but hard to get good Chemistry with due to their leagues, nationalities, or position on the field. Considering how you need 10 Chemistry points to get the best out of your players, and 100 team Chemistry points to get the most out of your team, these players are used as game-changing substitutes.
These lads - “super subs” as the community calls them - can turn the tide in any match once they’re on the field, mainly because they’re super fast and agile, plus they can get past tired defenders without breaking a sweat. Of course, not all super subs are fast or agile, some can be big and strong defenders too - the main idea is to get the upper hand in a game of FIFA and either score goals or provide an assist. Here are some of the best FUT super subs from over the years.
10 Hirving Lozano (FIFA 22)
Known as “Chucky” amongst fans, the Mexican winger is an unstoppable force in FIFA 22 and makes an instant impact once he’s subbed on. Some FIFA players go as far as subbing Lozano in as soon as the game stops because his in-form cards are simply too good to pass on, but he’s quite hard to link with other meta players.
He’s one of the fastest players in the game, with incredible agility. The moment you see him on the sideline, you know things are about to go sideways for you unless you take precautions. The Napoli winger has been a fan favorite ever since FIFA 18, when he was at PSV in the Eredivisie. He received several special cards, and has been terrorizing defenders since.
9 Karim Adeyemi (FIFA 21)
The base card for the young German striker, who played for RB Salzburg in FIFA 21 is nothing special. It’s a nice 69 rated silver card, but he was selected for the team of the week very early on, and received a 74 rated in-form card that turned him into a speedy and agile attacker. Players had to complete the Silver Stars objective to grab this card, and from that moment on you’d see Adeyemi’s first in-form card on every bench ever.
Later on, he received another in-form card and had even better stats across the board. At that point, there were several other good super subs in the game, but he immediately found his way into the meta and continued to unsettle opponents.
8 Mislav Oršić (FIFA 20)
The Croatian winger was on fire for Dinamo Zagreb in the 19/20 season, scoring 21 goals and assisting 10, earning him five special cards in FIFA 20. Oršić’s base card had high pace and dribbling skills, despite being silver. However, he was selected for the team of the week twice in a span of three weeks and got an 82 rated second in-form card.
His 82 rated card has him running like the wind, and clinical in front of goal thanks to his great shooting stats. Basically, any shot he took would most likely go in, provided he found an opening.
7 Adama Traoré (FIFA 19)
Fast and strong players are rare findings during the early stages of a FIFA cycle, and Adama Traoré was both, with 96 pace and 83 strength. Playing the Spaniard against tired defenders could be considered cheating. One tiny mistake, and he would bulldoze past through your defender.
He never received a special card in FIFA 19, but you could still see him being subbed in at all competitive levels, be it the weekend league or division rivals. The winger was initially a starter player in the early meta but became a super sub shortly afterward.
6 Sean Maguire (FIFA 18)
Sean Maguire’s PFAI Player of the Year card was something else, and you could get him for almost nothing. The squad building challenge could be done with whatever players you already had, and worst-case scenario, you’d have to spend about 10k coins to unlock him.
The Irish striker had a great season and this special card was indeed well-deserved. Maguire was like lightning, he would reach his top speed almost immediately, and was incredibly agile too. He would just phase through opponents and find himself one on one with the keeper.
5 Mohamed Salah (FIFA 17)
The Egyptian winger is currently one of the best players in the world, but back in FIFA 17, he was yet to prove his worth. Despite having two decent seasons, his base card only had an 82 overall, but he had points where they mattered the most: speed, agility and strength.
Salah being an Egyptian and playing in Serie A made it very difficult to get green links to him, hence he became an impactful plan-B in almost any team. Following his inclusion in the TOTW by week four, Salah earned an in-form card that made him the best super sub in FIFA 17.
4 Yevgen Konoplyanka (FIFA 16)
The Ukrainian winger was a force to be reckoned with from the very early stages in FIFA 16. He only got better, receiving two special cards within a couple of weeks. His base card was quite popular for a while, and both of his special in-form cards were what dreams were made of.
He also received a Futties card that had an 86 overall, but most players were quite happy with the in-form versions anyway.
3 Seydou Doumbia (FIFA 15)
If any team was stacked with pacey attackers in FIFA 15, it was CSKA Moscow. The attacking trio of Seydou Doumbia, Ahmed Musa, and Zoran Tošić worked well, even as a starter squad in FUT. It didn’t take long before all three players were out of the meta, but Doumbia kept his place as one of the best value super subs.
Doumbia was a machine - fast, efficient, strong, and with incredible stamina, meaning he wouldn't get tired and could run back and forth all game long. Of course, being a striker it wouldn’t make sense to have Doumbia helping the defense unless it’s a set-piece.
2 Victor Ibarbo (FIFA 14)
The Colombian striker is a legend among FUT fans due to his raw speed and high dribbling skills, however, he wasn’t nearly as clinical as most other strikers in FIFA 14. Back in the day, you could see him in almost every squad, ready to destroy the opposing team after being subbed in.
Ibarbo’s main talent —besides being great on the ball and pacey— was his strength and jumping. He was one of the tallest attackers in the game, and he could "jump". He would win pretty much any header if you’re even average crossing the ball to the dangerous areas.
1 Emmanuel Emenike (FIFA 13)
Emenike was what Lozano is today; he was the most popular super sub in FUT across multiple FIFA titles. His actual career never took off unfortunately, but FIFA 14 fans remember the Nigerian forward for his in-game goals and assists. He boasted high stats in all areas that mattered in the meta.
On top of all that, he had a high attacking work rate, combined with a low defensive work rate, meaning he was the ideal frontman. An argument could be made for Alexander Esswein as the best super sub in FIFA 13, but he was more of a starter than a substitute.