The Teams With the Highest Budgets in FIFA 21 Career Mode
By Adam Aladay
There are always tough decisions to be made when starting a Career Mode save. Do you start with your favourite team? Do you pick the club with the highest budget? Do you pick a struggling side and try to rebuild them? Or do you simply just do all of the above?
The options are limitless, but with the all new features in FIFA 21, Career Mode is now more intriguing than ever before. Sure, it may be appealing to pick a club in the second or third tier and work your way up with them, but let's be honest, it's always best having some money in the bank when getting started so that you can work your magic.
Here, we take a look at the 30 teams with the highest starting transfer budgets in FIFA 21 Career Mode...
30. Milan
Budget: £32.6m
Milan are back, baby! Starting this list off strong, Milan are very much worth considering in Career Mode.
Not only do the Italian giants posses great quality and experience, the likes of Ismael Bennacer and Theo Hernandez - who have been critical to their side's resurgence - are still only 22 and 23 respectively. Oh, and why not enjoy Zlatan while you can, eh?
29. LA Galaxy
Budget: £32.6m
Starting with just a slightly higher budget than Los Angeles FC, LA Galaxy are an option for those who are looking to try something different.
It would be a breakaway from the more traditional choices and there would be challenges in luring players to the club, but that's all part of the adventure with LA Galaxy.
28. Aston Villa
Budget: £33m
After battling their way to survival in 2019/20, Villa decided to back Dean Smith and made some real improvements to the squad. The likes of Emiliano Martinez, Matty Cash, Ross Barkley and Ollie Watkins have helped transform the Villans into a good outfit.
Considering Cash is only 23, Watkins is 24, Barkley is 26 and Bertrand Traore is 25, there is plenty of time for development and growth. Not to mention a certain Jack Grealish as well. With their £33m transfer budget, Villa are quite appealing.
27. Atlanta United
Budget: £33.7m
For many FIFA players, Atlanta United is typically associated with one player - Ezequiel Barco. The youngster remains a very exciting talent in the game with huge potential.
Similar to LA Galaxy, signing bright youngsters from around Europe may be a challenge, but with £33.7m to work with, there are plenty of shrewd deals to be made.
26. Lazio
Budget: £34.3m
If we're being completely honest, having Sergej Milinkovic-Savic in your side is reason enough to start a career with Lazio. But if you need more than that, there's also the quality around him, such as Luis Alberto and Ciro Immobile.
With the right acquisitions, Lazio could quietly but quickly develop one of the most exciting squads in the game. Just get rid of Lucas Leiva - who is rated 84 - as soon as possible to receive the most money for him while you can.
25. Bayer Leverkusen
Budget: £34.3m
It may appear as though the appeal of starting a career with Bayer Leverkusen vanished when Kai Havertz departed, but this isn't the case. Far from it.
With players still yet to reach anywhere near their full potential, Leverkusen could be just the club for those looking to develop and nurture young talent.
24. Flamengo
Budget: £37.3m
If you've covered most leagues and most teams over the years in FIFA and are looking for that new challenge that still brings the same excitement and entertainment, Flamengo could be just the club.
Featuring in the Conmebol Libertadores, Flamengo compete with the likes of Sao Paulo, Santos, River Plate and Boca Juniors. As well as having some well-known names - Gabigol, Mauricio Isla, Gerson and many more - users may also stumble across some hidden gems in South America.
23. Olympique Lyonnais
Budget: £38.6m
The options are limitless with Lyon. With countless young stars coming through the ranks, a Career Mode with the Ligue 1 outfit would bring the perfect balance of developing youth and financial support.
The likes of Houssem Aouar, Maxence Caqueret, Rayan Cherki and Bruno Guimaraes all have the potential to develop into excellent players in the game, forcing a decision as to whether to keep or to move them on for what is sure to be a hefty sum. With all the talent in the world at your disposal and with a healthy transfer sum to get you going as well, why not start your save in Ligue 1?
22. Wolves
Budget: £39.6m
Do you fancy starting a career in the Premier League, but don't want to choose a typical 'big six' side? Well, look no further. Already brimming with quality in Rui Patricio, Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Raul Jimenez, Wolves have just about every exciting Portuguese youngster on their books as well.
Around £40m is a good amount for the first window, while offloading the likes of Patricio, Moutinho and Jimenez fairly sharpish - as their values are likely to drop considering their ages - would also increase the budget and put you in a very strong position. Oh, and you'd also have Adama Traore, too! Doesn't get much better than that, does it?
21. Leicester City
Budget: £39.6m
Another option that steers clear of the typical 'big six' choice in England is Leicester. With a number of players in the latter stages of their careers, there is plenty of money to be raised with the Foxes and, in turn, this means more for you to play with.
A team filled with exciting players to play with on FIFA, Leicester are always worth starting a save with.
20. Roma
Budget: £40.5m
Roma are a good idea for any user who is looking to stay in Europe and, while not the most obvious choice, have solid foundations from which they can build upon.
Somewhat of a rebuilding job may be required should you start a career with them, but with £40.5m available immediately, it won't take long before your team begins to take shape.
19. RB Leipzig
Budget: £44m
Alright, alright, alright, let's just put aside the fact that we're meant to strongly dislike RB Leipzig for the moment and think about this objectively.
Do they have a strong squad? Yes. Do they have young and exciting talent to develop? Yes. Do they have a fairly sizeable transfer budget? You betcha! It makes a lot of sense to start a career with Leipzig.
18. Everton
Budget: £44.9m
Look, Everton's thee big summer signings (Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure and James Rodriguez) have drastically improved the Toffees, but they aren't exactly the best players to be stuck with in FIFA - especially Allan and Doucoure.
James may not be the quickest, but his range of passing and skill always makes him a good player to have in your squad. There's plenty of work to do at Everton, considering the vast number of ageing players within the squad, but who doesn't love a project?
17. Napoli
Budget: £49.3m
With Kalidou Koulibaly at the back, Fabian Ruiz in midfield and Hirving Lozano and Victor Osimhen in attack, what more could you want? Oh, and you would also have Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne too!
If users are able to negotiate good fees for a number of players to depart, they'll be able to bring in quality additions to strengthen this already dangerous team.
16. Valencia
Budget: £52.8m
Valencia have been looking to sell just about every player they own in more recent times, but thankfully for Career Mode users, they haven't managed to ditch everyone just yet.
And with £52.8m to work with, they could be quite the project, helping them climb the table and battle it out with Real Madrid and Barcelona.
15. Hertha BSC
Budget: £52.8m
Wait, what? The same Hertha that finished the 2019/20 season in tenth in the Bundesliga? Yep, that's the one.
If you're feeling courageous, set yourself a challenge and try and get Krzysztof Piatek to fire you to Champions League glory. Don't worry though, as with £53m available, strengthening won't be an issue. Simple, eh?
14. Borussia Dortmund
Budget: £52.8m
Jadon Sancho. Erling Haaland. Gio Reyna. Jude Bellingham. Do we need to say anything else?
There are few teams who will be quite as exciting to start a Career Mode save with than Dortmund. Make it happen.
13. Atletico Madrid
Budget: £60.3m
Joao Felix is ridiculously good and considering his age and current value already, it will be quite the challenge to get hold of him in FIFA 21.
So why not just start a career with Atletico instead? After all, they also have a number of other star names - such as Saul and Jose Gimenez - who are yet to even reach the prime years of their careers.
12. Tottenham
Budget: £66m
Gareth Bale may not be the smartest purchase on FIFA 21 given his age. But users who opt to start a Career Mode save with Tottenham will be able to enjoy the luxury of having him in their squad for the season until his loan expires.
Works out well, doesn't it? Spurs not only have a number of players who have the potential to grow into top players in the game (yes, Dele is still one of them), but they also have world class talents within the squad as well such as an 88-rated Harry Kane. With £66m as a starting figure to spend as well, you could make them a real force and y'know, maybe even win the league.
11. Arsenal
Budget: £70.4m
At first glance, it may appear as though Arsenal would be a 'boring' Career Mode choice. But actually, a rebuilding job is required for any user who selects the Gunners.
Sure, there is squad depth, but there are a large number of players who could be used to raise even greater funds, allowing you to reinvest elsewhere. But with a number of youngsters leading the way, you'd have a solid foundation to build on.
10. Chelsea
Budget: £74.8m
How is Chelsea's squad so big? Seriously?! The Blues added Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, Ben Chilwell Thiago Silva and Edouard Mendy to their ranks during the 2020 summer window, and now have one of the most impressive squads in FIFA 21.
Money and an outrageously good and young squad? It doesn't come much better than that.
9. Liverpool
Budget: £79.2m
This one's fairly obvious, isn't it?
As well as having £80m at your disposal to start off with, you would also have one of the best goalkeepers in the game, one of the best right backs, the best centre back, one of the best midfielders and, just to cap it all off, two of the very best forwards.
8. Inter
Budget: £87.6m
Despite their obvious reputation and history, Inter don't necessarily jump out as many people's first choice when choosing a team in Career Mode. But this must change.
Inter have the perfect blend of youth and experience, while there are also players who can be offloaded to raise even greater funds if needed. Oh, and did we mention Lautaro Martinez has a potential rating of 92? No? Well, there's that as well.
7. Bayern Munich
Budget: £88m
Bayern Munich are simply ridiculous in real life - and the same applies to them in FIFA 21.
They take the phrase 'strength in depth' to new levels and users will have an obscene amount of money to spend if they decide to let go of just a few of Bayern's squad players, who perhaps don't have quite as much potential as others. It's a no-brainer.
6. Piemonte Calcio
Budget: £92.4m
There's only one problem about starting a career with Juven...wait, no, Piemonte Calcio - you'd be getting rid of Andrea Pirlo as manager.
If you have it in you to do this, then the Italian giants are an excellent choice, considering the outstanding young talent within the squad as well as the number of already world class players.
5. PSG
Budget: £114.4m
Considering the eye-watering amount of money PSG have spent in recent years, the Ligue 1 champions don't actually have that big a transfer budget in FIFA 21 Career Mode.
Y'know, relatively speaking. But there's more than enough money available to make PSG simply unplayable in the game. Kylian Mbappe on his own would likely do this as his 90 rating continues to go up and up.
4. Manchester City
Budget: £154.9m
Yes, City is filled with star names like Aymeric Laporte, Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero, all of whom have been key to the club's success.
But because of this, the number of bright young stars they have on their books often goes largely unnoticed. With Ruben Dias and Ferran Torres the leading starlets, City have a very exciting squad.
3. Manchester United
Budget: £155.8m
Staying in Manchester, United have a slightly larger budget than their city rivals. The Red Devils are always a classic choice in Career Mode for any user (unless you're a rival fan), considering their record of bringing through academy products.
The likes of Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, Brandon Williams and Facundo Pellistri have huge potential in the game, making United a typically exciting choice. The outgoings do need to be managed, however.
2. Barcelona
Budget: £158.8m
Barcelona are a mess and have been for a while. But guess what? That doesn't matter in the slightest on FIFA. Instead, all that matters is the quality that exists within the squad.
Lionel Messi aside, the chance to develop Ansu Fati and see him become one of the best players in the game is enough of a reason to start a career with Barça. But Ousmane Dembele, Frenkie de Jong and Francisco Trincao also have extraordinary potential in the game.
1. Real Madrid
Budget: £165.8m
That's quite a lot of money. Madrid are the most obvious choice in Career Mode, not simply because you would have the money to buy whoever you want almost immediately, but also because of the endless amount of talent that already exists.
The likes of Vinicius Junior and Fede Valverde both have the potential to reach a 90 and above rating - comfortably.
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