FIFA 18: 20 Fastest Players

Speed kills (defences)...

fifa 18 mane
EA Sports

Play the FIFA 18 demo and you'll notice that things have been slowed down. Midfield battles especially have a weightier feel to them, but this doesn't last long when passing out to the speedier players on the wing. That's what happens in real football, and it's a good thing EA have replicated it, because that wasn't the case over the past few years.

In FIFA 16 and 17, defenders would quickly catch up to even the speediest of wingers. This felt odd, more so when spamming the sprint button with someone like Gareth Bale. There's just no way a slower wing back like Gaël Clichy should have been able to catch Bale with ease. Good work, EA, you've finally made pace count again.

So, who's the fastest in FIFA 18? It may surprise you to learn that poster boy and all-round football genius Cristiano Ronaldo isn't on the list. He did rank as EA's best overall player in the Top 100, but his 90 pace stat doesn't quite cut it here.

It looks like Bale finally has one over his Real Madrid team mate...

20. Iñaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao)

FIFA 18 Inaki Williams
EA Sports

Still only 23 and with pace to burn, Athletic Bilbao winger Iñaki Williams will be on the shopping lists of many FIFA players this year. His pace is there to be honed too, meaning he'll only improve the more and more you train him; never disregard that Training suite, because even simulating sessions in Career Mode pays dividends in the long run.

At 93, Williams pace will rip full backs to shreds, but he's not just speed and nothing else. Look at those physical stats too. 79 for physical and 79 for dribbling mean he'll be hard to shove off the ball when he gets going, if defenders can even keep up with him in the first place.

Williams is just the first of players born in 1994 that EA apparently love this year. He'll fly under the radar compared to others though, which is a shame. The Spaniard doesn't score a lot of goals (only 14 since joining Bilbao in 2014), but he will be capable depending on your play style in FIFA. Play him on the left and Williams can cut inside for a shot on his right with ease.

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