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Which free-kick specialists should you have in your FIFA 19 Ultimate Team?
The best free-kick takers have been revealed, but which ones should you get in your FUT XI?
Scoring from a free-kick is a skill that every FIFA player needs to master. However, before you've even considered power and swerve, you need to give yourself the best chance of hitting the back of the net by selecting a dead ball specialist to bend it over the wall.
You'd also want the player taking your free-kicks to have other great attributes, too. Kieran Trippier's ability from set-pieces has made him a first choice pick for England in the right wing-back role, but he wouldn't be there if he wasn't a top player. So, while the best FIFA 19 free-kick takers can smack them in top bins from 30 yards, you wouldn't necessarily want them in your FUT XI.
Top 10 best FIFA 19 free-kick takers
Lionel Messi
© EA Sports
- Lionel Messi (CF, OVR: 94)
- Hakan Çanhanoglu (LW, OVR: 80)
- Sebastian Giovinco (CF, OVR: 82)
- Miralem Pjanić (CM, OVR: 86)
- Enis Bardhi (CM, OVR: 78)
- Daniel Parejo (CM, OVR: 86
- Marvin Plattenhardt (LB, OVR: 78)
- Memphis Depay (ST, OVR: 83)
- Paolo Dybala (CAM, OVR: 89)
- Shunsuke Nakamura (CAM, OVR: 72)
Which free-kick takers should be in your FIFA 19 Ultimate Team?
Messi is number one, but some of these names might have surprised you – you may not even have heard of some of them. If you have the money, obviously Messi would be an automatic pick in your FUT XI anyway. He's the second best player in the game and can play at CF, just behind Ronaldo.
As for the other highly rated players in this list, Paolo Dybala would have to battle it out with Kevin de Bruyne for a place in the starting 11 – De Bruyne has great passing and shooting stats, but Dybala has more pace and greater ability from free-kicks. Pjanić and Parejo have high OVR stats, but lack the pace to get into our dream team.
Memphis Depay in FIFA 19
© EA Sports
What if you don't have loads of money to spend on your team? Well, it's not too hard to pick up a player rated in the early 80s in the transfer market, and Memphis Depay is pretty pacy, has good dribbling skills, can clearly take a mean free-kick, and boasts five-star skills. Long-time FIFA fans will also be aware of the in-game ability of Toronto FC's Giovinco.
Of the rest, Milan's Çanhanoglu lacks the pace (71) to make him a viable option at left-wing. Levante's Enis Bardhi doesn't have much pace either, and his only outstanding stat – other than his ability from free-kicks – is his dribbling (80). Celtic fans will have fond memories of Shunsuke Nakamura scoring great free-kicks against Manchester United in the Champions League in 2006, but he's only rated at 72 overall, and has 31 pace. His legs have gone! Finally, Hertha BSC's gold-rated left-back Marvin Plattenhardt has a lot of stats in the 70s. Solid.
