FIFA 23 Real Madrid Career Mode Guide: Starting Lineup, Who to Sign & more

Current La Liga and Champions League champions, Real Madrid are one of the biggest teams in world football with an outstanding squad, so of course, they will be a top pick when looking for a club to manage in FIFA 23 Career Mode.

Much of the work has already been done for you, but there are still improvements that can be made to make this squad even better!

You will be tasked with winning everything, but that is the pressure you need to deal with when managing one of the best teams around.

Team Rating

Real Madrid has a five-star rating in FIFA 23.

The breakdown of the ratings is as follows: ATT 85, MID 85, DEF 84.

Starting Lineup and Formation

Real Madrid lineup as a 4-3-3 False 9, and you will want to keep it like this unless you invest in a different type of striker, then you can switch to a variation of a 4-3-3.

The starting squad is so good you don't need to make any changes to it!

Karim Benzema spearheads the team as the false 9, with his brilliant passing ability used to bring the pacey wingers into play, while also getting involved in the goals himself.

The unreal pace of Vinicius Jr. is on his left, with Rodrygo also offering pace on the right wing.

The midfield three has Toni Kroos and Luka Modric pulling the strings as it has for many years, with new signing Aurelien Tchouameni taking up the CDM role after Casemiro's departure.

It is painful to leave Federico Valverde on the bench, however, he will be crucial for squad rotation and will have more impact off the bench than Kroos would.

The back four of Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba and Ferland Mendy sit in front of the giant frame of Thibaut Courtois in goal.

Again, it is a shame to leave Eder Militao on the bench, but you will be able to rotate him with the other two world-class options or start him over Alaba if you prefer.

With those 11 starting, it leaves us with a brilliant bench of Militao, Nacho Fernandez, Lucas Vazquez, Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, Eden Hazard and Marco Asensio.

Tactics and Instructions

Once again, we didn't change anything tactically with the Real Madrid setup in FIFA 23, although you could opt for Pressure On Heavy Touch and Direct Passing if you prefer a more offensive style rather than a balanced one.

Benzema is told to Drift Wide, which creates space for Vinicius to make central runs, but if you don't like this feel free to change it.

The midfield three are all switched to Cover Center, to force the opposition out wide and create a trickier route to goal, with Tchouameni also told to Stay Back While Attacking.

Because the side has pacey and brilliant CBs, we're not too worried about getting caught out with long balls over the top, so we have changed both the full-backs to Join The Attack.

This will give more passing options in more controlled build-up play, and also squeeze the opposition back, allowing Kroos and Modric to pick killer passes.

Development Plans

The squad is so well built that no players need their positions altered.

If you plan to keep hold of Hazard and Asensio you could convert them to CAMs due to their lack of pace, but then they wouldn't fit the 4-3-3 formation.

Training

The Real Madrid squad has some brilliant prospects in FIFA 23, so make sure you train up Vinicius Jr. (POT 92), Valverde (POT 90), Militao (POT 89), Camavinga (POT 89), Tchouameni (POT 89) and Rodrygo (POT 88), so they reach their peak.

Then there is Andriy Lunin (POT 84), Takuhiro Nakai (POT 83), Julen Jon (POT 82) and Noel (POT 81), who could all become decent squad players.

Transfer Market

Starting budget: £189 million

Who should go?

There are a few elder statesmen of the squad that you need to decide now if you plan on keeping them or cashing in now, as their value will just decrease from this point on.

Benzema, Kroos, Modric, and Carvajal are all at their peak potential, and although they are all starters if any don't fit your playstyle don't be afraid to trade them in for someone else.

If you were to get rid of all four that could add around £200 million to your budget!

Make sure you don't leave yourself short on players, but you could definitely get rid of Hazard, Asensio, Fernandez, Vazquez, Alvaro Odriozola, Dani Ceballos, Jesus Vallejo and Mariano, which could bring an additional £160 million in.

That would create a staggering new budget of £550 million to play with!

And we're not done yet, as there are several youngsters with potential below 80, so they are worth selling rather than sending out on loan.

Rafael Obrador, Sergio Arribas, Peter, Lucas Canizares and Luis Lopez can all be got rid of too.

With such a big overhaul you can set your Madrid side up for greatness now and continue far into the future.

Loans

A few of the youngsters we've mentioned - Nakai, Julen Jon and Noel - can be sent out on loan until they are good enough to play a role in the side.

Then there are six of the squad who are currently out on loan, with Brahim Diaz (POT 86) and Antonio Blanco (POT 82) worth keeping an eye on.

The other four don't have a potential greater than 80 OVR, so can be sold.

Who to Sign

Very simple, bring in Kylian Mbappe and/or Erling Haaland!

They are not just two of the best strikers in FIFA 23 but are the future of the game too.

It will feel harsh to do it to Benzema, but he is in the twilight of his career and you need to make some tough decisions.

You could try to use Benzema in a player plus cash swap deal, or if you want to keep Karim in the team he will be a more than adequate backup.

If you do get rid of Benzema then a backup striker will be important, and bringing in a player or two that can play there and on the wing will be some great business, as the side is lacking top wingers that can be put on rotation with the starting two.

Transfer Targets (RW/ST/LW)

We would also look to bring in a couple of full-backs, and the type you go for will depend on your plans for Mendy and Carvajal.

If you sell Carvajal then a first-team quality option will be needed, and a promising backup would be good too.

As for Mendy, he won't improve much but is still a top player, so you can either bring in a promising backup for him or get someone who will be better now and in the future.

Transfer Targets (LB/RB)

Then we would look to invest in depth throughout the squad, mainly replacing departed players with ones who have higher potential.

Board Expectations

The board at Madrid expect nothing less than total dominance, and with the team and money at your disposal in FIFA 23, you should be able to deliver!

Domestic Success and Continental Success are of critical priority, meaning you need to win it all - the league, Copa de Espana, and Champions League.

Brand Exposure is also of critical priority, and we were asked to get a streak of scoring at least one goal in 10 home games, as well as needing to sign one of the best players in the world (which is classed as a surprisingly low OVR 82+).

Youth Development is a low priority and requires signing a couple of young future stars.

Finally, there is the low-priority Financial target, which asks to finish with a profit margin of £236,500,000!

Definitely achievable, but don't worry if you don't hit it.