Real Madrid are one of the most supported clubs in the world and also one of the most popular clubs in FIFA 18's Career Mode, as well as Online Seasons.
As La Liga and Champions League holders, there is a lot of pressure on any Real Madrid manager to succeed in their first season and every season with the club. They have a great squad of players to begin with, but with many of their stars in the latter years of their careers, will need to ease in some young, fresh talent.
Goal takes a look at how to get the best out of Real Madrid in career mode, offering tips and tricks to help you succeed at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid: Best formation in FIFA 18
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Zinedine Zidane has Real Madrid playing with a 4-4-2 diamond formation at the moment, which is replicated in FIFA 18 as a 4-1-2-1-2. This is a popular tactic for many players of FIFA Ultimate Team, but is not the most effective way of utilising Madrid's best players.
Gareth Bale is left on the bench by default, but his pace and high ratings across the board make him a brilliant attacker. To accommodate him in the starting XI, 4-3-3 or a variation of it is definitely the best approach, reuniting the BBC frontline.
The one headache this will bring, however, is deciding which of the highly-rated midfielders to drop. Luka Modric and Toni Kroos have the highest current ability, but the Croatia international is 31-years-old, and thus has reached his potential.
Casemiro, Isco and Mateo Kovacic are lower rated, but have the potential to become even better and are all in their mid-20s.
Real Madrid: Best players in FIFA 18
As the cover star of FIFA 18, Ronaldo is the best player in the game. He has a current rating of 94, better than anyone else at Real Madrid, and one point ahead of rival Lionel Messi. His contract is until 2021, so he should be your team's focal point until then or whenever he decides to retire in Career Mode.
Sergio Ramos captains the side from centre-back with a 90 rating, and is 31-years-old, meaning he only has a few years left as well. Luckily, Los Blancos have a ready-made replacement in Jesus Vallejo. The 20-year-old starts off as a 78-rated CB, but with enough playing time, can reach 89 overall. He will slot in beside Raphael Varane, who is already excellent at the start of Career Mode, but develops even further to become one of the world's best.
Real Madrid's squad has no obvious weaknesses, with some strong players even out on loan for the first season. James Rodriguez is at Bayern Munich until 2019, while right-winger Martin Odegaard and Federico Valverde are both away from the club until 2018 and have potential ratings of 86.
| Player | Rating | Potential |
|---|---|---|
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 94 | 94 |
| Sergio Ramos | 90 | 90 |
| T. Kroos | 90 | 90 |
| L. Modric | 89 | 89 |
| G. Bale | 89 | 89 |
| Marcelo | 87 | 87 |
| Isco | 86 | 90 |
| K. Benzema | 86 | 86 |
| Varane | 85 | 92 |
| Casemiro | 85 | 89 |
| K. Navas | 85 | 85 |
| Marco Asensio | 84 | 92 |
| Carvajal | 84 | 87 |
| M. Kovacic | 82 | 88 |
| Lucas Vazquez | 82 | 83 |
| Nacho Fernandez | 81 | 83 |
| Kiko Casilla | 80 | 80 |
| Vallejo | 78 | 89 |
| Dani Ceballos | 78 | 88 |
| Marcos Llorente | 78 | 86 |
| Theo Hernandez | 75 | 85 |
| A. Hakimi | 73 | 85 |
| Oscar | 68 | 81 |
| Cristo Gonzalez | 66 | 84 |
| Alvaro Tejero | 66 | 78 |
| Moha Ramos | 64 | 79 |
| L. Zidane | 64 | 73 |
| F. Feuillassier | 63 | 78 |
Real Madrid: Players to buy in FIFA 18
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Like in real-life, the long-term need of Real Madrid in FIFA 18 is to find a new striker. Karim Benzema is contracted until 2021, but has reached his peak rating of 86 overall. Ronaldo can be deployed as a striker too, but is on the wrong side of 30.
Madrid have plenty of young talent in attack, but none are out-and-out strikers. Borja Mayoral is the best of what they have, but will only develop from a 78 rated striker into an 84 rated one - which is not high enough for a Champions League contender. Marco Asensio ends up being one of the best players in the game, but is an attacking central midfielder capable of playing on both wings, but does not have striker has a preferred position.
There are plenty of brilliant strikers under 23 available in FIFA 18, including some which are useful in the squad straight away. Paulo Dybala, Harry Kane and Andrea Belotti should be available to a club of Real Madrid's pulling power, while younger players like Kasper Dolberg, Lautaro Martinez and Jann-Fiete Arp are all players with great potential that can be eased into the first team.
Goalkeeper is another area where improvements are needed in the medium- and long-term. Keylor Navas is a solid number one to begin with, but the club do not have a capable deputy or standout young stopper. Athletic Bilbao's Kepa Arrizabalaga has been linked with Real in real life, and is also a suitable signing in FIFA 18. Sevilla's Sergio Rico, Alban Lafont and Gianluigi Donnarumma are all excellent additions.
| Player | Position | Rating | Potential |
|---|---|---|---|
| G. Donnarumma | GK | 82 | 93 |
| Sergio Rico | GK | 82 | 87 |
| Arrizabalaga | GK | 81 | 87 |
| Pau Lopez | GK | 81 | 86 |
| A. Lafont | GK | 77 | 89 |
| P. Dybala | CAM, ST | 88 | 93 |
| H. Kane | ST | 87 | 90 |
| A. Belotti | ST | 83 | 89 |
| N. Fekir | CAM, ST | 83 | 87 |
| T. Werner | ST | 83 | 87 |
| Goncalo Guedes | LM, LW, ST, RM | 78 | 88 |
| K. Dolberg | ST | 77 | 87 |
| J. Arp | ST | 69 | 89 |