Every year, EA reveals what will be the top 10 rated cards on FIFA Ultimate Team, and it always causes a lot of contention. Will Messi be better than Ronaldo? We guess it's just who's on the front cover of the game that year, right? Well, at Vanarama we thought we'd dive headfirst into that contention.
With the Vanarama National League not featuring in FIFA21 this year, we've created our very own Ultimate Team concept cards of the league's best players. To do this, we enlisted the help of Vanarama's National League Ambassador Jeff Brazier to help us pick out which players stand out from the crowd.
"After Vanarama launched their petition last year to get the National League put into FIFA, which gained over 10,000 signatures, we wanted to take it a step further for the launch of FIFA21. Unfortunately, the league also won't feature in this year's iteration either, but that hasn't stopped Vanarama creating their own FIFA21 Ultimate Team concept cards.
They chose me to lend them a hand in choosing the top National League players not in FIFA this year, along with each of their individual statistics for shooting and passing etc. I've chosen John Rooney as the standout player in the National League, giving him a 67 overall rating due to his contribution of 17 goals from midfield last season. Other players I've picked out as the National League's best include Enzio Boldewijn, Callum Roberts and Kabongo Tshimanga."
Scroll down to find out which players have made it into our top 10 Vanarama National League concept cards, as well as which formation we'd go for if we were playing in the Ultimate Team Weekend League.
John Rooney
Stockport County
Skill Moves: ⭐⭐⭐
Weak Foot: ⭐⭐⭐
After scoring 17 goals in 37 appearances for Barrow during the 2019/20 season, Vanarama has awarded John Rooney the highest-rated Ultimate Team concept card in the National League. Being able to amass so many goals as a centre midfielder shows what a huge influence that Rooney is on the Barrow team, as well as the Vanarama National League as a whole. Rooney's physical stat of 60 also means he's a combative presence in the middle of the park.
Enzio Boldewijn
Notts County
Skill Moves: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Weak Foot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Starting out at Dutch side Utrecht, Enzio Boldewijn has made the Vanarama National League his playground since signing for Notts County in 2018. Possessing a deadly combination of pace, skill and impressive shooting abilities, the 27-year-old would be a dream to play with in FIFA Ultimate Team. We've also awarded Boldewijn a handy four-star combo of skill moves and weak foot, meaning he could be trusted to get you out of even the stickiest of situations anywhere on the pitch.
Callum Roberts
Notts County
Skill Moves: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Weak Foot: ⭐⭐
Callum Roberts has enjoyed an extremely impressive first season in the Vanarama National League, giving opposition left-backs nightmares throughout the league. Including the playoffs, the former Newcastle United academy player has scored a goal every two games, an excellent return in his first 10 games in the league. At only 23, there's still plenty of time for Roberts to get even better.
Kabongo Tshimanga
Boreham Wood
Skill Moves: ⭐⭐⭐
Weak Foot: ⭐⭐⭐
Scoring 19 goals in the 19/20 season, Kabongo Tshimanga comes in at number four on our list with an overall rating of 64. His goalscoring prowess means that he contributed 36% of all goals scored by Boreham Wood in the Vanarama National League last season – an impressive statistic. The player has had Ultimate Team cards in previous FIFAs – one in FIFA 16 and two in FIFA 17 – but we think this concept may be his best one yet! Tshimanga has also played for the England C team on one occasion in 2019.
Harry Beautyman
Sutton United
Skill Moves: ⭐⭐⭐
Weak Foot: ⭐⭐⭐
Like John Rooney, Harry Beautyman is another goalscoring centre midfielder on our list, notching an impressive 15 goals in 33 appearances in the 2019/20 season. The Beautyman concept card features high shooting and passing stats, while also possessing three-star skills and a three-star weak foot – a solid combination for a central midfielder in FIFA Ultimate Team. He is another player who has made an appearance for the England C team, and true to form managed to score a goal in his only appearance.
Callum Howe
Solihull Moors
Skill Moves: ⭐⭐
Weak Foot: ⭐⭐
After only his first season for Solihull Moors, Callum Howe has shown that he is perhaps the most essential part of a team that finished only three points from the play-off places in the 19/20 campaign. The 26-year-old boasts the highest defending and physical stats of the four central defenders who feature in our full National League concept team below, showing his dominance at the back. Howe is also a threat in the opposition's box, managing to score five goals in 38 games last season.
Luke Wilkinson
Yeovil Town
Skill Moves: ⭐⭐
Weak Foot: ⭐⭐⭐
Tied with Callum Howe as our highest-rated centre-back in the Vanarama National League, with a 60 overall rating, Luke Wilkinson takes his place at the heart of Yeovil Town's defence. Wilkinson possesses a relatively high passing stat of 42 for a central defender, meaning if you wanted to play out from the back, he would be the perfect centre-back card to go for. Another goalscoring defender on our list, Wilkinson scored three goals in 26 appearances last season.
Elliot Johnson
Dagenham & Redbridge
Skill Moves: ⭐⭐
Weak Foot: ⭐⭐
The standout left-back in the Vanarama National League during the 2019/20 campaign, Elliot Johnson takes his place at number seven on our list. His concept stats show an extremely well-rounded and versatile Ultimate Team card, meaning he could also fill in at centre-back or right-back should you find yourself in the middle of a defensive emergency. He recently transferred to Dagenham & Redbridge after a ten-year spell at Barnet.
Luke Coulson
Bromley
Skill Moves: ⭐⭐⭐
Weak Foot: ⭐⭐
Dominating the right-wing for Bromley, Luke Coulson enjoyed a standout year during the 2019/20 season. A midfielder who's also capable of defending, Coulson was originally an attacking full-back earlier in his career before being converted to a lively winger. It's clear he hasn't lost his love of defending, regularly tracking back to help out his teammates, proving himself to be a real team player. His defensive stat of 50 is exceptional for a wide midfielder.
Scott Loach
Barnet
Skill Moves: ⭐
Weak Foot: ⭐⭐
The most impressive shot-stopper in the Vanarama National League, Scott Loach is our top-rated goalkeeper concept card. Loach conceded only 44 goals in 37 appearances last term – impressive numbers considering Barnet aren't among the teams who were vying for promotion, finishing 11th in the league. The keeper also has experience at a higher level after playing the majority of his football for Watford during a four-year spell in the Championship.
The Best National League Team NOT In FIFA21 Ultimate Team
Now you know who we would choose as the top 10 National League players in FIFA21 Ultimate Team, it would only be fitting to round it off with the team we'd use to go into the Weekend League with.
We've gone with the highly attacking 4-2-4 formation, utilising Callum Roberts and Enzio Boldewijn on the wings, while Rhys Murphy comes into partner Kabongo Tshimanga upfront. Between them, they scored a mighty 36 goals in the Vanarama National League last season, so they can be trusted to stick the ball in the back of the net.
John Rooney and Harry Beautyman also play a vital role, providing defensive cover and attacking prowess in the middle of the park. The league's best goalkeeper and defenders keep us safe at the back, including Callum Howe and Scott Loach.
Our bench is also looking pretty healthy, with the likes of Luke Coulson and Paul McCallum ready to come on and be a gamechanger. Now, we know in the Vanarama National League you're allowed 5 subs, and in the Ultimate Team Weekend League, you get 7 subs, which works out well. This leaves you room to stick Messi and Ronaldo on the bench in case you need a last-minute goal.
View The Best National League Team Not In Fifa 21 Full Size
If you have any feedback on our player choices or stats, which we think you might, you can tell us on Twitter or Facebook.
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