One of the least glamourous but most essential positions in FIFA 22 Pro Clubs is that of a central midfielder.
You may not get the glory of the goals, or the recognition of last man crunching tackles, but your role will be to break up play, be calm in possession, and get the ball up the field for the attackers to finish the job.
We take a look at the best build for a box-to-box midfielder, including height, weight, and what attributes you should look to increase, below.
Weight and Height
There are many different builds you can go for with a midfielder, but for this one, we will be focussing on a box-to-box style.
This means the build will be a great all-rounder, not just focused on creating and scoring chances like a CAM, or solely breaking up play like a CDM.
Unlike other positions in midfield, this build will actually use the CM position (as a CAM you should use a ST, a CDM a wing-back).
Obviously, you can make adjustments to compliment your play style, but as a starting guide, we would recommend being 5'10" and 198lbs.
This will mean you have the speed to keep up with play, but also the physicality to be combative in the middle of the park.
You can make your Virtual Pro slightly smaller and lighter, as seen in the video above, which will give you slightly more pace, but less physicality.
If you find yourself constantly behind the play then changing to a pacier build may suit you better.
Midfield Attributes
The first place to improve is on Stamina, as you will be surprised how much this drains throughout matches, and you don't want to be lagging behind the play.
It will only take up five skill points to do the initial upgrade you need, but you will eventually want to work all the way up to the Acrobat Archetype.
As with all builds, Pace will also be key, as this is an area everyone boosts, so you don't want to be left behind.
You don't need to max this out straight away, but eventually, that will be your goal.
If you're having to pick between increasing either your acceleration or sprint speed, go for acceleration first, as this will help you nick past the opposition before offloading the ball.
Once those basics are sorted Defending will be the place to go, as that will be one of the vital weapons in your armoury.
Interceptions and stand tackle are the main attributes you are wanting to improve, as most of the defensive awareness will be decided by you - and anyone can fly into a slide tackle!
When you have more skill points available, Dribbling will be the next place to upgrade, focussing on ball control and agility.
Being able to control the ball in a tight situation and wriggle out of it will give your player that extra edge, and can turn defence into attack instantly.
If you find yourself with some skill points spare use them on Passing.
The initial build already has 80+ in all the passing attributes, which is why you don't need to make it a main priority from the start.
There is no need to add to the Shooting skill tree, but if you like having a pop from outside the box six skill points will grand you 92 Long Shots.
Midfielder Archetypes
With enough skill points, you will be able to gain multiple archetypes from the skill tree. The ones you should be aiming for are:
- Acrobat
- Architect
- Cheetah
- Maestro
- Lynx
Cheetah and Acrobat are the ones we would be looking to hit first to give you the best physical base to work from, but again, this comes down to personal preference.
Perfect Perks
You will earn more Perks as you increase in level, with all 26 being unlocked once you get to level 25.
Of the 26 you can only assign three to your Virtual Pro, one as soon as you start, the second when you reach level nine, and the third at level 19.
The best Perks to assign to your box-to-box midfielder build are:
- Active First Touch (level 5) - Better ball control, acceleration and sprint speed
- Physical Strength (level 5) - Boosts strength, ball control and jumping when jostling, shielding or heading the ball
- Ball Winner (level 7) - Boost tackling ability when close to the dribbler
- Skilled Dribbler (level 9) - Increases dribbling and skill moves, and gives Flair trait
- Precision Pass (level 17) - Increases pass accuracy and speed, as well as giving Swerve and Flair traits and five-star weak foot ability
- Tireless Runner (level 23) - Grants Second Wind and Solid Player traits