Here’s a list of all of the best free kick takers in FIFA 22 Career Mode.
Free kick taking has been tweaked between different iterations of FIFA and in this year’s game they are certainly worth practising and focusing on. They can be an extremely useful way to score important goals, especially when playing against defences that are tough to break down in open play.
Choosing the best free kick takers in FIFA 22
This article focuses upon the best free kick takers in the game with James Ward-Prowse, Lionel Messi, and Enis Bardhi being amongst the best in FIFA 22.
We have ranked these dead ball specialists based on their free kick accuracy and curve rating, and the fact they possess the FK Specialist trait in this year’s game.
At the bottom of the article, you’ll find a full list of all the best free kick takers in FIFA 22.
1. Lionel Messi (93 OVR – 93 POT)
Team: Paris Saint-Germain
Age: 34
Wage: £275,000 p/w
Value: £67.1 million
Free Kick Accuracy: 94
Best Attributes: 96 Dribbling, 96 Ball Control, 96 Composure
Lionel Messi will be forever known as arguably the best football player of all time after a record-breaking career for Argentina, Barcelona, and now PSG, and throughout his glittering career he has always shown an immense talent for scoring free kicks. Evidently, the creators of FIFA 22 believe he is the best free kick taker in world football with a 94 free kick accuracy rating.
At 93 overall, Messi is the best player in this year’s game. He has a host of 96-rated attributes including ball control, dribbling, and composure, which make him a phenomenal player to use in-game either off the right wing or as a centre forward.
Messi’s shock exit from his beloved Barcelona in the summer was one of the most surreal transfers in football history, however PSG fans must be delighted that the recent Copa America winner signed on a free transfer to grace their club with his unparalleled talent. If you do play as PSG in-game, make sure you put Messi on free kicks. Put simply, there’s no one better.
2. James Ward-Prowse (81 OVR – 84 POT)
Team: Southampton
Age: 26
Wage: £59,000 p/w
Value: £28.8 million
Free Kick Accuracy: 92
Best Attributes: 92 Free Kick Accuracy, 92 Curve, 91 Stamina
A hero for his boyhood club Southampton, James Ward-Prowse has emerged as one of the most feared free kick takers in world football, as illustrated by his 92 free kick accuracy.
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Over set pieces, Ward-Prowse is one of the game’s best with 92 curve and free kick accuracy in-game making him a brilliant goal threat from short range free kicks. He’s not bad from open play either, with 91 stamina, 89 crossing, and 85 short passing allowing the Englishman to create clear-cut chances for the full 90 minutes for the Saints and the national side.
The 26-year-old has certainly lived up to his great potential on the south coast, with speculation growing over whether he will move to a club in continental competition after a dazzling eight-goal and eight-assist performance in the Premier League last season. If you need a talented, playmaking dead ball specialist then look no further than James Ward-Prowse.
3. Enis Bardhi (79 OVR – 80 POT)
Team: Levante
Age: 25
Wage: £28,000 p/w
Value: £18.1 million
Free Kick Accuracy: 91
Best Attributes: 91 Free Kick Accuracy, 89 Curve, 86 Balance
North Macedonian superstar Enis Bardhi has 91 free kick accuracy in FIFA 22, which is no surprise to anyone who has seen him strike a free kick.
Bardhi is a midfielder with a clinical goalscoring edge in this year’s game. His ratings include 85 shot power, 84 long shots, 81 volleys, and 78 finishing, meaning that Levante’s star man is a goal threat from both long and short range.
Capped 42 times by North Macedonia, Bardhi has scored nine international goals, but it’s the mark that he’s made in La Liga for Levante that has raised eyebrows in Spanish football. His best return of seven goals and three assists in the league a couple of seasons ago raised his profile, and it may not be long until Bardhi makes the switch to a bigger club to challenge for domestic silverware.
4. Aleksandar Kolarov (78 OVR – 78 POT)
Team: Inter
Age: 35
Wage: £47,000 p/w
Value: £3.7 million
Free Kick Accuracy: 89
Best Attributes: 95 Shot Power, 89 Free Kick Accuracy, 86 Long Shots
An iconic left back in both the Premier League and Serie A, Kolarov’s eye for goal from free kicks sets him apart from most defenders in world football, hence his 89 free kick accuracy rating in this iteration of FIFA.
The 35-year-old, who now features for Inter, has been given 95 shot power, 89 free kick accuracy, and 86 long shots, so you can expect some spectacular finishes from the Serbian defender if you’re brave enough to shoot from distance in-game.
A key player in Mancini’s league-winning Manchester City outfit, Kolarov sandwiched his spell in England with stints at Italian giants Lazio, Roma, and most recently Inter Milan, after breaking through in Serbian domestic leagues. 94 caps for Serbia and 11 goals are testament to his attacking capabilities, which you can expect to be replicated in FIFA 22 if you play with Kolarov.
5. Ager Aketxe (71 OVR – 71 POT)
Team: SD Eibar
Age: 27
Wage: £7,000 p/w
Value: £1.7 million
Free Kick Accuracy: 89
Best Attributes: 89 Free Kick Accuracy, 86 Shot Power, 85 Balance
Ager Aketxe is a steady Spanish midfielder with a penchant for long shots in open play, but he is especially devastating from free kicks and 89 free kick accuracy suggests you should go for goal from dead ball situations with Agetxe if given the chance.
A new signing at Eibar, Agetxe has shown he has a threat with his powerful long-range shooting with 86 shot power and 84 long shots and curve representing the 27-year-old’s strongest attributes in-game.
Having played for Athletic Bilbao, Cádiz, Almería, Deportivo La Coruña, and even Toronto FC, Aketxe is hoping to find a more permanent home in Eibar in Spain’s Second Division. A £2.8 million release clause should allow managers on a shoestring budget to sign Aketxe as a difference-making set-piece taker.
6. Ángel Di María (87 OVR – 87 POT)
Team: Paris Saint-Germain
Age: 33
Wage: £138,000 p/w
Value: £42.6 million
Free Kick Accuracy: 88
Best Attributes: 94 Agility, 91 Curve, 88 Free Kick Accuracy
PSG’s Ángel Di María has been amongst the world’s elite forwards for the best part of a decade due to his creativity and eye for goal, but his 88 free kick accuracy in FIFA 22 suggests that he is also one of the game’s best free kick takers.
A slight winger, Di María has historically relied on electric pace, but at 33, the Argentine has evolved into an extremely gifted technician. Attributes including 91 curve, 88 crossing and dribbling, and 87 ball control profile Di María as the archetypal creative wide man to complement his goalscoring ability from set pieces.
After a tough spell in English football with Manchester United, Di María has found his footballing home at the Parc des Princes where he’s become a staple at one of the biggest clubs in world football. His Copa América-winning goal in the 1-0 win against Brazil has cemented his legacy as one of Argentina’s best forwards in the modern era.
7. Paulo Dybala (87 OVR – 88 POT)
Team: Juventus
Age: 27
Wage: £138,000 p/w
Value: £80 million
Free Kick Accuracy: 88
Best Attributes: 94 Balance, 93 Ball Control, 92 Agility
Dybala is one of the most exciting forwards to use in FIFA due to his uncanny knack for scoring from close range, long range, or, as his 88 free kick accuracy suggests, from set pieces too.
The versatile Argentine is not just a deadly finisher with his 89 long shots and 85 finishing – he can also create chances for teammates by passing or dribbling through the opposition. 91 vision, 90 dribbling, and 87 short passing tells you all you need to know about the quality Dybala bring to any side.
Palermo took a chance on Dybala as a raw teenage prospect, and after three scintillating years at the club, they more than tripled their investment on Dybala by turning their initial £10 million into £36 million after selling their star player to Juventus. Since then, Dybala has taken his game to the next level, so if you want to sign him on Career Mode, you may have to trigger his substantial £138 million release clause.
All of the best free kick takers in FIFA 22
In the table below, you’ll find all of the most effective free kick takers in FIFA 22, sorted by their free kick accuracy and curve rating.
| Name | FK Accuracy | Shot Power | Curve | OVR | POT | Age | Position | Team | Value | Wage |
| Lionel Messi | 94 | 86 | 93 | 93 | 93 | 34 | RW, ST, CF | Paris Saint-Germain | £67.1 million | £275,000 |
| James Ward-Prowse | 92 | 82 | 92 | 81 | 84 | 26 | CM | Southampton | £28.8 million | £59,000 |
| Enis Bardhi | 91 | 85 | 89 | 79 | 80 | 25 | LM, CM | Levante Unión Deportiva | £18.1 million | £28,000 |
| Aleksandar Kolarov | 89 | 95 | 85 | 78 | 78 | 35 | LB, CB | Inter | £3.7 million | £47,000 |
| Ager Aketxe Barrutia | 89 | 86 | 84 | 71 | 71 | 27 | RM, CAM | SD Eibar | £1.7 million | £7,000 |
| Ángel Di María | 88 | 83 | 91 | 87 | 87 | 33 | RW, LW | Paris Saint-Germain | £42.6 million | £138,000 |
| Robert Skov | 88 | 88 | 87 | 75 | 78 | 25 | RM, LWB, LB | TSG Hoffenheim | £6.5 million | £25,000 |
| Paulo Dybala | 88 | 84 | 90 | 87 | 88 | 27 | CF, CAM | Juventus | £80 million | £138,000 |
| Anderson Talisca | 87 | 84 | 86 | 82 | 83 | 27 | CF, ST, CAM | Al Nassr | £30.5 million | £52,000 |
| Lasse Schøne | 87 | 83 | 85 | 74 | 74 | 35 | CM, CDM | N.E.C. Nijmegen | £1.5 million | £8,000 |
| Gareth Bale | 87 | 90 | 91 | 82 | 82 | 31 | RM, RW | Real Madrid CF | £21.5 million | £146,000 |
| Dominik Szoboszlai | 87 | 84 | 88 | 77 | 87 | 20 | CAM, LM | RB Leipzig | £19.8 million | £40,000 |
| Bruno Fernandes | 87 | 89 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 26 | CAM | Manchester United | £92.5 million | £215,000 |
| Christian Eriksen | 87 | 84 | 89 | 82 | 82 | 29 | CM, CAM | Inter | £25.4 million | £103,000 |
| Ruslan Malinovskyi | 86 | 90 | 85 | 81 | 81 | 28 | CF, CM | Atalanta | £22.8 million | £58,000 |
| James Rodríguez | 86 | 86 | 89 | 81 | 81 | 29 | RW, CAM, CM | Everton | £21.9 million | £90,000 |
| Coutinho | 86 | 82 | 90 | 82 | 82 | 29 | CAM, LW, CM | FC Barcelona | £25.8 million | £142,000 |
| Marcos Alonso | 86 | 84 | 85 | 79 | 79 | 30 | LWB, LB | Chelsea | £12.9 million | £82,000 |
If you want the most dangerous strikers of a dead ball in FIFA 22, look no further than the list provided above.
