FIFA 23 - Most POPULAR Ultimate Team players topped by World Cup WINNER

A new year ushers in new beginnings, but it also gives us time to reflect on what has been.

There has been plenty to keep us occupied in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team, with weekly promos since the launch of the game.

So many cards have been released in the campaign so far, but who are the most popular FUT players? Find out the Top 10 below...

10 - Cody Gakpo POTM (OVR 86)

Top performances for PSV and the Netherlands have seen Cody Gakpo poached by Liverpool, and a lot of players picked up his first Player of the Month card when it was released too!

Coming early in the FUT cycle, his card had really well-rounded stats and the SBC was affordable at around 32,00 coins, which made him very popular - despite not playing in one of the big five leagues.

9 - Saeed Al-Owairan WC FUT Hero (OVR 88)

There was a big change in what type of cards were loved by the community at the release of the game compared to a couple of months in, with the original Lengthy meta being declared dead and pace becoming king once again.

Saeed Al-Owairan's Base FUT Hero card wasn't raved about much, despite having 94 PAC, but his World Cup FUT Hero version was released at a time when the popularity of speedsters had returned, so he was obviously a favourite with 99 PAC!

8 - Moise Kean POTM (OVR 87)

Moise Kean gained a POTM SBC after playing just two games, in which he scored three goals, with EA delivering another well-priced challenge so many players could get hold of him.

Of course, having a good price is one thing, but the Italian also had the stats to show off, and if you put a Shadow chemistry style on him he gained the attributes of a 93-rated ST and also had maximum pace!

7 - Cristiano Ronaldo (OVR 90)

Despite Cristiano Ronaldo's Flashback card topping the list of least popular FUT players, his base Gold version is one of the most popular!

He had a pace downgrade compared to FUT 22, but in the early stages of the Ultimate Team cycle that didn't matter and he was one of the most lethal strikers around.

6 - Federico Chiesa Out of Position (OVR 87)

Federico Chiesa is the type of card the FUT community love - pacey, nimble on the ball, two-footed and skilful.

His Out of Position SBC was reasonably priced at the time of release so obviously went down well with fans.

5 - Erling Haaland (OVR 88)

The king of the early Lengthy meta, not only did Erling Haaland have that much sought-after AcceleRATE trait, but he was pacey too, making for a deadly combination.

He was the complete antithesis of player types that were used in the previous few titles and it created a fresh new meta (for a few months at least).

4 - Arnaut Danjuma Player Moments (OVR 85)

The pattern of popular FUT players having well-priced SBCs continues (and will do so for the rest of the list), with Arnaut Danjuma's Player Moments version.

45,000 coins may have looked slightly pricey for an 85-rated card even in the early stages of FIFA 23, but Danjuma would crop up in so many Weekend League sides and always produce the goods.

3 - Ismael Bennacer RTTK (OVR 87)

Investing in Ismael Bennacer's Road to the Knockouts SBC was a bit of a risk, having to spend around 25,000 coins for an 84-rated card.

Luckily, the risk paid off, with his card improving to an 87 OVR, and he still has one of the best total in-game stats sums in the game!

2 - Dimitri Payet Winter Wildcards (OVR 89)

Released on Christmas Day, Dimitri Payet's Winter Wildcards image is a thing of beauty - and so is his card!

The Frenchman got another beefed-up variant with a similar stats layout to his Rulebreakers version, and the well-priced SBC meant he started popping up in many squads.

1 - Angel Di Maria WC TOTT (OVR 90)

A combination of top stats, a great price and being a surprise release makes Angel Di Maria's World Cup Team of the Tournament card the most popular one in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team - so far!

Celebrating his Man of the Match performance in the final, the SBC was released a couple of hours after that game had been played and took many people by surprise.

A dynamic image of him kissing the trophy finished the item off with aplomb, a brilliant card coming for a brilliant player who deserves loads of praise for his play over the years.