FIFA 23 Career Mode: The clubs with the biggest budgets
By Tom Gott
'This isn't Career Mode'.
Well, actually, it is.
With FIFA 23 now upon us, it's time to dive into a new Career Mode save and start throwing money around like there's no tomorrow. Here are the 20 richest teams on the game.
20. Valencia - £58.59m
Kicking things off, we have La Liga's Valencia with a tasty budget of £58.59m.
You already have goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who is one of the best young players on the game, as well as the midfield duo of Hugo Guillamon and Yunus Musah, so there is already a nice young core for you to play with.
There's still a little work to be done if you want to make an immediate push for the title, but fortunately, you've got the budget to pull that off.
19. West Ham - £60.83m
West Ham are threatening to upset the Premier League's big boys both on and off the pitch.
The Hammers enjoyed an expensive summer, splashing big money on the likes of Nayef Aguerd, Lucas Paqueta and Gianluca Scamacca, but they still have over £60m in the bank for you to play with.
You might want to try offer Declan Rice a new contract with some of that money, with his current deal expiring in 2024.
18. Borussia Dortmund - £67.44m
The post-Haaland era kicks off at Borussia Dortmund with a cool £67.44m.
You've already got Karim Adeyemi and Youssoufa Moukoko waiting in the wings, but both are still young and might benefit from being loaned out, rather than spending time on the bench.
If you find yourself needing more money, there's a certain English midfielder who could probably bring in a penny or two.
17. Newcastle United - £69.02m
The mega-rich Newcastle United don't have an enormous budget available to them straight away, but their £69.02m is more than enough to keep the rebuild going.
Don't forget, the Magpies have just spent big on Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimaraes and Sven Botman, and you definitely don't need a new goalkeeper because Nick Pope is always one of the best on the game.
Depth is probably the most-important thing for Newcastle's next transfer window.
16. RB Leipzig - £72.18m
The leaders of the Red Bull machine, Leipzig have £72.18m to offer you in your first window.
They've got some exciting youngsters all across the pitch but one area of concern may well be central midfield, where you could definitely find an upgrade or two for the money available to you.
Leipzig are also blessed with some hugely valuable players, so you can always cash in on one to juice up your budget.
15. Aston Villa - £74.15m
£74.15m is what will arrive on your desk if you choose to take charge of Aston Villa.
A quick glance at the Villa squad will show you an ageing core than will soon need to be ushered out, so perhaps take a look in the market for a future superstar or two.
As far as contracts go, your only immediate worry is Douglas Luiz. Get a new deal sorted out quickly to ensure you don't need to fret about your midfield.
14. AC Milan - £76.38m
Reigning Serie A champions AC Milan have a budget of £76.38m to offer in their first season.
The Rossoneri are one of the most intriguing teams to manage, owing to their huge crop of young players who look capable of growing into superstars.
That youth doesn't extend to their strikers, however, with 35-year-old Olivier Giroud and 40-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic your best options. A plan for the future probably needs to be drawn up quick.
13. Atletico Madrid - £79.06m
Atletico Madrid's quest to regain their La Liga title is aided by a transfer budget of £79.06m.
They didn't spend a whole lot of money during the summer so it's completely up to you to build this squad in your vision ahead of a renewed assault on the top of the table.
You need to buy smart, however, as there are two more Spanish teams looking to spoil your fun.
12. Inter - £84.98m
On the blue side of Milan, you'll find Inter and their £84.98m transfer budget.
Inter didn't spend big this summer when it comes to transfer fees, bringing Romelu Lukaku in on loan from Chelsea, but you'll have to negotiate with the Blues if you want to keep him permanently.
Elsewhere, get a new contract sorted for Milan Skriniar. Even if you want to sell him, the centre-back is far too valuable to let walk.
11. Arsenal - £88.70m
The Gunners are starting to flash the cash once again as they try to take their squad overhaul into overdrive.
Mikel Arteta has built a squad full of young talents that are emerging as superstars all at the same time, and they're flirting with a real push for the Premier League title.
If Arsenal need any new faces to get there, a budget of £88.70m should get the job done.
10. Tottenham Hotspur - £102.08m
The first side to break the £100m mark are Tottenham, who have pledged a whole lot of money to the rebuild led by current boss Antonio Conte.
Richarlison, Cristian Romero and Yves Bissouma were the headline additions of the summer but there is still a massive budget left to be spent to make a push for the Premier League title.
A long-term goalkeeper should be towards the top of your shopping list, with 35-year-old Hugo Lloris clearly not likely to be around for much longer.
9. Bayern Munich - £117.07m
Bayern Munich are chasing Tottenham's Harry Kane in real life and you could bring him to Germany with some of the £117.07m budget on offer.
A new striker is one of the club's top priorities following the summer exit of Robert Lewandowski, although the arrival of Sadio Mane will ease the pain somewhat.
Bayern have a fantastic mix of young prospects and global superstars, so you can play this any way you want.
8. Chelsea - £135.77m
The winner of the biggest transition of the summer goes to Chelsea, who are under new ownership and ready to splash the cash once again.
The Blues just enjoyed the most expensive transfer window in history as the likes of Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella and Raheem Sterling joined the club, but they still have £135.77m to spend.
They've even got Romelu Lukaku coming back next summer, to add to the crazy value of their current squad.
7. Juventus - £154.17m
Fully licensed in the game once again, Juventus are celebrating with a whopping £154.17m in their transfer war chest.
Youth needs to be the order of business in Turin as the vast majority of Juve's core are getting on in years, so you've got the chance to build a whole new squad around Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa.
The team are in a bit of a rut on the real pitch, but you've got the money to fix things in FIFA 23.
6. Liverpool - £154.69m
Liverpool splashed the cash this summer as they brought in Darwin Nunez up top, and they've still got a cool £154.69m to spend.
Like Juventus, they have an ageing core that will need replacing in the near future, but steps have already been made to address that through the additions of Ibrahima Konate, Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho.
There's a short-term project and a long-term one on offer at Anfield, but preparing for the medium-term could be your biggest priority.
5. Barcelona - £155.15m
Crisis? What crisis?
Barcelona have worked hard to raise a lot of money this summer, and their reward for that is a transfer budget of £155.15m.
You can try and prepare for the future, but the reality is that Barcelona need to win now. It's time to go out and recruit some of the world's finest in order to restore the Blaugrana to their former glory.
How much is Lionel Messi worth?
4. PSG - £163.79m
Paris Saint-Germain have never been afraid to splash the cash, and that's the case on FIFA 23 as they have a huge budget of £163.79m available to them.
Don't even waste your time looking for forwards as you already have the best trio on the planet at your disposal, and the rest of the squad isn't half bad either.
There aren't too many ways to improve this PSG side, but with all this money, we're sure you'll find something.
3. Real Madrid - £178.77m
Having missed out on both Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland this summer, Real Madrid have £178.77m to spend and no idea how to.
Most of the rebuilding has been done for you, with Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni set to dominate the midfield for years to come, so you might want to splash that cash in attack.
Karim Benzema is getting on in years and there's probably room to improve up top, so don't be afraid to break the bank.
2. Manchester United - £204.57m
The finances step up a level as we get to Manchester United, who have a whopping £204.57m at their disposal.
The Red Devils look to have made progress with their never-ending rebuild this summer but the team is still a long way away from where it is supposed to be.
Offload your fringe players and then go crazy.
1. Manchester City - £234.07m
No prizes for guessing this one.
With £234.07m to spend, Manchester City are the richest team in FIFA 23... and they already bought Erling Haaland.
City could do with a bit of depth after selling up this summer, but with that sort of money on offer, you can find more than just squad players.