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10 cheap Icons worth using in FIFA 21
Which legends of the past deserve a fairer hearing in FUT?
Everyone gets excited about Icons -- especially new Icons -- ahead of the release of a new Ultimate Team. But, as with all FUT cycles, Icons in FIFA 21 have now been largely surpassed by the numerous promotional special cards released over the course of the game's lifespan. Icons may be rare, but the fact is that there are only a few that would really make it into our current teams.
You only have to look at the Icon prices on the Transfer Market for confirmation: many now cost as little as 70,000 coins, which is less than some lower-league Team of the Season players. But surely there's still some value to be had in these once-coveted cards?
Searching for value
What Ryan means is that by choosing a formation like 4-5-1, for example, where the left and right midfield players are only linked to a couple of players, you could use Icons in those two positions to bring a completely unlinkable card into your squad. This is how we get FUT Birthday Marco Reus into our largely Serie A team, for example. His German links matter not when the blokes boxing him in have that Icon pedigree.
So that's one thing that stands in Icons' favour. Another is that they often have useful traits. These were legendary players in their day, and while their stats might not be as competitive as they once were due to the influx of special promo cards, they were given special traits that can make them surprisingly useful in-game. Take Liverpool legend Ian Rush, for example. Rush has the Outside Foot Shot, Finesse Shot and Power Header traits, meaning that he will be able to produce the right shot animation in a lot of circumstances to do real damage to a stumbling defence.
Most Icons have gone out of fashion, then, but they can still be useful. With that in mind, here are 10 that we've used in FIFA 21 that we recommend, and which cost much less than the top-end cards in the game at the moment.
Please note: Prices were accurate on May 7 2021, but will rise and fall with the market.
Defenders and Midfielders
Gianluca Zambrotta: Base (86, RWB) or Mid (87, LB), Italy, 265,000-330,000 coins
Zambrotta is a solid option that won't break the bank
© EA
There are plenty of good full-backs in the game now, but Zambrotta is useful for a few reasons. First, he feels tall in-game at 5'11" compared to a lot of smaller players. Second, he has four-star skills and five-star weak foot, meaning that he is comfortable squirming out of tight spots on either foot. And thirdly he has played both left and right back, giving you a choice of his cards. We've used both the Base (RWB) and Mid (LB) version and there isn't much to pick between them. If you need to box someone in on the wing for chemistry reasons, Zambrotta is a solid option that won't break the bank.
Related
Laurent Blanc: 89-rated (Mid, CB), France, 245,000 coins
Don't let Blanc's pace fool you
© EA
World Cup-winning French defender Laurent Blanc holds his own very comfortably against the best attackers in the game. His pace is ever so slightly below the 80 threshold we usually insist upon, but with a Shadow chemistry style he is still very quick, and very high defensive awareness means he gets in good positions that help make up for his relative lack of pace anyway. At 6'4", he can repel aerial threats with the best of them.
Gheorghe Hagi: 92-rated (Moments, LM), Romania, 280,000 coins
With five-star skills and a four-star weak foot, Hagi is a solid icon
© EA
Obsession with pace means that FUT players often overlook cards like Hagi's Prime Icon Moments, which is a shame because this is an absolute Rolls Royce of a wide midfielder, with five-star skills and a four-star weak foot, Flair and Set Play Specialist traits, and endgame shooting, passing and dribbling. His stamina is slightly underwhelming, but that's what substitutes are for, and in the meantime he will happily run the game at CAM or as a wide player cutting inside to join the attack.
Attackers
John Barnes: 89-rated (Prime, LW), England, 215,000 coins
Max pace, fantastic shooting, and solid passing. Barnes is the man.
© EA
Barnes is serially underappreciated in FIFA games. Stick a Hunter on this Prime card and it has max pace, fantastic shooting and dribbling, and solid passing. Four-star skills and weak foot are handy, and the Outside Foot Shot, Flair and Finesse Shot traits add to Barnes' utility as a wide attacker or CAM. Barnes is naturally left footed, which opponents don't always know about (because they are busy underappreciating him), so if you're lucky they will also instinctively try to defend against his right foot, allowing you to dip a shoulder and then curl one into the top corner.
Gianfranco Zola: 87-rated (Mid, CF), Italy, 190,000 coins
Zola comes into his own if you use an Engine to boost agility
© EA
Mid Zola is one of those cards that looks unremarkable on paper but feels completely wonderful in-game. Pace and shooting can be brought up to very high levels with a Hunter, but he comes into his own if you use an Engine to boost agility and balance and play him at CAM. At 5'6" he has a low centre of gravity and will move nimbly among packed defences, scoring off either foot thanks to four-star skills and weak foot. Outside Foot Shot, Flair and Finesse Shot traits complete the picture. An easily likeable player in his heyday, Zola is just the same in FUT 21.
Alessandro Del Piero: 87-rated (Base, CF), Italy, 310,000 coins
Speaking of Italian legends, no FIFA cycle is complete without a little dance with ADP. Four-star skills, five-star weak foot, Flair trait, max pace and great shooting with a Hunter. This is a fairly standard 'very good attacker' card, but there's always something special about Del Piero in-game. 89 shot power with Hunter is a shame at this stage of the cycle, but if you can get past that, he will still do a solid job on either wing or at CAM or second striker.
Luis Hernandez: 90-rated (Prime, ST), Mexico, 245,000 coins
Four-star skills make up for Hernandez's weak spots
© EA
Prime Luis Hernandez isn't the flashiest card in the database, but if you are struggling to link a squad together then he is a well-priced final piece of the attacking puzzle. Hunter gives him maximum pace, naturally, and brilliant shooting stats, as well as surprisingly high agility and balance for a 5'9" striker. Engine may be tempting to boost dribbling further, but the sacrifices in shooting probably aren't worth it. The three-star weak foot is a limitation, but four-star skills soothe the burn.
Ian Rush: 92-rated (Moments, ST), Wales, 270,000 coins
Prime Icon Moments Ian Rush is not a card that will put fear into an opponent on the loading screen, but in the right hands he absolutely should do. The Moments card is noteworthy because his weak foot was boosted to five stars (alongside three-star skills), and with a Hunter chemistry style that means he is at pretty much max pace and almost all his shooting stats are maxed to deliver rockets from either foot. Outside Foot Shot, Finesse Shot and Power Header mean he's going to pick the best possible animation in those situations, too.
Ian Wright: 90-rated (Moments, ST), England, 265,000 coins
Wright is a top choice for Arsenal and England fans
© EA
Ian Wright's Prime Icon Moments card has a fantastic dynamic image, but this is more than a meme card. Pace and shooting are endgame, dribbling is better than you would think, and four-star weak foot means he's capable on either side. The three-star skills and surprising lack of traits put us off the card slightly, but for Arsenal and England fans this is a top choice.
Patrick Kluivert: 92-rated (Moments, ST), Netherlands, 315,000 coins
The 6'2" Dutch powerhouse is great value for any team
© EA
English football fans didn't see the best of him during his Newcastle United days, but Dutch and Spanish fans remember Patrick Kluivert for his achievements at Ajax (Champions League winner aged 18) and Barcelona (90 goals in 182 appearances). His Prime Icon Moments card tells that story, with maxed-out pace and shooting with a Hunter, four-star skills and five-star weak foot, great reactions and ball control, and the Outside Foot Shot, Power Header and Flair traits. As a target man alongside a smaller attacker, the 6'2" Dutch powerhouse is great value for any team.
