FIFA 22: 20 of the best teams to manage in Career Mode

FIFA 22 is here, and Career Mode remains one of the most popular features of the series.

Whether it is returning a fallen giant to their former glory, building a small club into a big one, or taking on a fashionable team that everyone loves, there is always a challenge out there.

And with FIFA 22 dropping, you can run into a brand new career and feel the innovation of HyperMotion technology with whichever team you choose. HyperMotion implements 11 vs 11 motion capture and adds new animations - as many as 4,000 of them - to make the game feel more realistic than it ever has.

Which team should you choose, though? Here’s a look through 20 of the best teams to manage in FIFA 22 Career Mode…

20. Athletic Club

Being in charge of Athletic Club comes with the caveat of only signing players from the Basque region - otherwise known as its cantera policy.

It is the ultimate home-grown challenge.

19. Parma

Parma are the epitome of cool because of the cult teams they had during the 1990s. They've had several financial meltdowns over the years and are yet to properly recover from the most recent six years ago.

They have been back to Serie A after starting out in Serie D in 2015, but relegation last season means starting 2021/22 in Serie B.

18. Malmo

Sweden has produced countless outstanding footballers over the decades and their national team is a staple of the knockout rounds at international tournaments. Yet their club sides have fallen behind.

Malmo have flown the flag in the Champions League a few times in recent years, including this season, and remain the only Swedish club to have played in the final - but that was nearly 45 years ago.

17. Famalicao

With a stadium holding barely more than 5,000, Famalicao are Portugal's minnows and are arguably punching above their weight just being in the Primeira Liga alongside the likes of Porto, Benfica and Sporting CP.

Success in Portugal is a notoriously closed club. Only five teams have ever been crowned champions, with two of those just one-hit wonders. Adding a sixth, especially a tiny club like Famalicao, would be historic.

16. Independiente

Having won it seven times, Independiente are the most successful club in the history of the Copa Libertadores. But the last of those titles was back in 1984 and the modern hype is for Boca Juniors and River Plate instead.

Why not build a team capable of restoring the glory days? You could even try and persuade Sergio Aguero back - he left for Europe when he was 18 and has said in real life he would like to return.

15. 1860 Munich

Founded in 1860, obvious when you think about it, 1860 Munich are one of Europe's most historic football clubs. They've been German champions, won domestic and European trophies, but things haven't been good.

1860, now completely overshadowed by city rivals Bayern, haven't been in the Bundesliga since 2004 and were briefly in Germany's fourth tier recently. They're now back in tier three, but can you take then back to the top?

14. Paris FC

Unlike other European capitals like London or Madrid, which have numerous top flight football clubs, Paris has just one: Paris Saint-Germain.

But Paris FC exist as a result of a split from PSG in 1972 and have been a longstanding fixture of France's lower leagues. Currently in Ligue 2, they have previously threatened promotion to Ligue 1 and French football needs a top flight Paris derby.

13. Malaga

Remember when Malaga were in the Champions League quarter-finals and on the verge of reaching the semis? It was only as recently as 2013 but decline since those brief glory years have left them in Spain's second tier.

The entire first-team squad was released in 2020 to stave off insolvency. There's rarely a blank canvas like it in football.

12. Hibernian

The challenge is simple: break the Old Firm dominance of Scottish football. The reality is probably quite a bit harder but worth a good go.

It was 1985 the last time a club other than Rangers or Celtic was crowned champions in Scotland. That was Aberdeen led by a young Alex Ferguson.

Hibernian were comfortably third in the Scottish Premiership last season so are probably your best bet.

11. Sutton United

Sutton are the newest addition to the EFL, so taking them further up the English leader ladder would be an ultimate rags to riches tale.

This is the first season they have been included in a FIFA game.

10. Forest Green Rovers

Forest Green are a unique side that deserve plenty of attention. They became the world's first vegan club in 2015, before they had even reached the EFL, and have kitted out their stadium with eco-friendly innovations.

The New Lawn sadly isn't available in FIFA 22, but the club's jazzy home and away kits are not ones to miss.

9. Rochdale

Make an extremely unremarkable club...remarkable.

Rochdale once spent 26 consecutive seasons in the EFL's bottom division without getting promoted or relegated. They've recently had a spell in League One but are back in League Two for the 2021/22 season.

Yet this is still the club that had had big names like Rickie Lambert, Grant Holt and Adam Le Fondre pass through in the past.

8. Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn remain one of only seven clubs that have held the Premier League trophy aloft since the new competition was formed in 1992.

Yet Rovers haven't been in the top flight for 10 consecutive seasons following their relegation in 2012 and it's about time they returned.

Plus there's Chilean sensation Ben Brereton Diaz to manage.

7. Nottingham Forest

Two-time European Cup winners Nottingham Forest haven't played top flight football for over 20 years since their 1999 relegation from the Premier League. What's more, a good number of those years have seen them finish in the bottom half of the Championship.

Restoring the glory days is first and foremost getting back in to the Premier League. Then it's climbing the table, challenging domestically and, perhaps ultimately, reigning Europe once more.

6. Benfica

Break the curse of Bela Guttmann.

Achieving domestic success with the Portuguese giants shouldn't be an issue, but the club hasn't experienced European success since 1962 after supposedly refusing legendary coach Guttmann a pay rise.

He is alleged to have 'cursed' the club, vowing that they wouldn't be European champions again for 100 years. Given that they have lost five European Cup finals since then, the 'curse' has stuck.

5. Ajax

Ajax remain one of the most popular clubs in Europe. Historically, they are also tremendously successful but their last Champions League title was back in 1995, although they came close to the final in 2019.

Build your own Ajax golden generation and make Amsterdam the heart of Europe once more.

4. Milan

For being the second most successful club in Champions League history and the third most successful club in Serie A history, AC Milan are currently nowhere near the status they want to be.

A sleeping giant for the past decade, the Rossoneri are underdogs in Europe when they were once feared and it doesn't sit right.

3. Spurs

A major trophy of any description has eluded Spurs since 2008. They have played in finals in that time but the drought goes on.

In 2021, having missed the trophy boat under previous manager Mauricio Pochettino, there is also a rebuilding project to complete, which will make any future successes all the more sweet.

2. Arsenal

Arsenal fans demand success and it will take a skilled manager to deliver it, successfully rebuilding a squad capable of the ultimate goals.

It didn't happen right away, but the Gunners rather unsurprisingly fell apart after Arsene Wenger left the club. The rebuild has started and taking over the Emirates Stadium means inheriting some potential, but the process is going to be long and ongoing to yield real success.

Arsenal haven't won the Premier League since 2004, haven't seriously challenge since 2008, and have never won the Champions League.

1. Barcelona

Barcelona have become a disaster club and need fixing. It's a huge challenge, not least because it has to be done without Lionel Messi.

Ripping it all up and starting completely afresh might be the way to go.

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