FIFA 21 Virtual Pro Attribute Glossary

Acceleration is the increment of a player’s running speed. The higher the value, the shorter the time needed to reach maximum speed, no matter what that is. It needs to be considered alongside the Sprint Speed stat. On a player with high acceleration but low sprint speed, his sprint evolves really well, but his maximum speed is pretty low. In this case, acceleration becomes almost irrelevant – it’s no good getting to your top speed really quickly if that top speed really isn’t very quick. In another hand, a player who has high sprint speed but low acceleration is able to run fast, but it takes longer for him to reach his top speed.

Sprint speed measures how fast the player runs while at top speed.

The aggression level of a player measures the frequency and the aggression of jostling, tackling and slide tackling. A typical aggression-based action is when you go “shoulder-to-shoulder” against someone, with high aggression our player has the initiative to push the opponent strongly (as far as his strength allows him to) and this determines the winner of the challenge. Whilst predominantly an AI attribute, this has some benefit in winning 50-50 challenges.

Jumping is the player’s ability and quality for jumping from the surface for headers. The higher the value is, the higher the player can jump.

Stamina determines the rate at which a player will tire during a game. It evaluates how tired your player gets as the match approaches half time or full time. When severely fatigued, your Pro’s performance is adversely affected. Stamina is also responsible for your player getting injured more easily in any challenge, not necessarily in the last minutes of the match.

The higher the value, the more likely the player will win a physical challenge. Your player’s strength stat will decide how they cope with any physical battles, so a good score in this area is important for anyone with defensive responsibilities. It’s also a desirable attribute to have for at least one of your strikers, just to give you a chance in 50-50s with defenders.

Interception determines the ability to read the game and intercept passes. This impacts your Pro’s tendency to stick out a leg or to try and cut out a pass, as well as the success rate of those attempts.

Marking is the ability to track and defend an opposing player. In other words, it is your player’s ability to stay close to an opposing attacker and stop him from getting to a cross/pass from a teammate. This also contributes to tracking runs. Whilst primarily an AI attribute, this will have an impact if you rely on LB/L1 to manage your Pro’s position. Your Pro’s Marking stat will also affect how good they are at containing an opposition player when they have the ball.

This stats measures the ability of the player to time standing tackles so that they win the ball rather than give away a foul. In-game this also translates into being able to taunt the opponent with shirt pulling, grabbing and other not-so-fair moves without being caught by the referee if your player’s Tackles attributes are high.

This stats measures the ability of the player to time sliding tackles so that they win the ball rather than give away a foul.

This attribute measures how accurately the player crosses the ball during both normal running and free-kick set pieces. This is a key attribute for any Pro operating down the wing, but it also has an influence over free-kick set pieces and it also determines how easy it is for a player to get the ball in the box in the first place. If your winger keeps getting blocked when you are expecting him to whip the ball in, there’s a good chance he has a poor crossing score.

Curve is used to measures the player’s ability to curve the ball when passing and shooting. The higher the value the more curve/curl the player is capable of putting on the ball. It’s a good attribute to have for any set-piece takers; curling corners can be a nightmare to defend against, and curling free-kicks can be tough to save.

This stat is used to classify how well a player performs a long pass in the air to his teammate. It doesn’t affect long ground passes. This also determines how quickly the ball gets to him – the higher the score, the faster and more accurate the pass will be.

This attribute ranks how well a player performs a short / ground pass to his teammate. In other words, it determines a player’s accuracy and speed of passing over a short distance.

Vision ranks the player’s awareness of the position of his teammates & opponents around him. The better the Vision attribute, the wider your player will see in order to locate his teammates and therefore the bigger the chances of a successful long pass. Another Attribute which primarily impacts AI-controlled players, albeit this will impact your ability to successfully make long through-balls – especially to off-screen teammates.

Agility impacts how fast the player is while moving or turning. In other words, how fast and graceful a player is able to control the ball. Players with high agility can perform acrobatic shots or clearances, and agility also affects dribbling ability. If you’re a player who likes to run with the ball, agility is one of the stats to keep an eye on.

Balance attribute is the ability to maintain balance after a physical challenge. This attribute is particularly important for attacking Pros who like to dribble past opponents.

Ball control is the ability of a player to control the ball as he receives it. The higher the value, the less likely the ball is to bounce away from the player after controlling it.

This attribute determines at what distance the player with the ball starts feeling the pressure from the opponent. This then affects the chances of the player making an error when he shoots, passes and crosses. The higher the value, the better the player performs when under pressure from an opponent.

A higher value means the player will be able to keep better possession of the ball whilst dribbling because they will keep the ball closer, making it harder for the opponent to win it. It is important to note that Skill Moves are unlocked separately as a trait; and that a high Dribbling Attribute has no impact on your ability to perform skill moves.

Reactions measures how quickly a player responds to a situation happening around him. Whilst primarily an AI attribute, Reactions does impact your player’s response to on-field events (such as rebounds) as well as the speed of response to controller inputs.

Finishing is the accuracy of shots using foot, inside the penalty area. Finishing has no influence over headers or finishes from outside of the area.

Free Kick is a FIFA attribute used to measures the player’s accuracy for taking Free Kicks. The higher the value the better the accuracy of a direct free kick on goal.

Shot Power evaluates how hard the player hits the ball when taking a shot at goal. It is the amount of power a player can put into a shot while still keeping it accurate. It affects how fast the ball travels when struck from any distance. A player with a low shot power can still hit the ball hard into the back of the net but the longer you hold B/O the more likely he is to miss.

This attribute measures the accuracy of shots from outside the penalty area (in contrast to Finishing). This is a great attribute for midfielders to have, depending on playstyle.

This stats measures the heading accuracy of the player for either a pass or a shot. In fact, this stats does two things: affects your player’s ability to get their head on the ball, then how accurate that header is going to be. It applies to headed passes as well as headers at goal.

This attribute measures the accuracy of shots from the penalty spot.

Positioning is the player’s ability to take up good positions on the field during a game. The higher this stat, the more likely a player is to make enough space to receive the ball in dangerous areas. This primarily impacts AI controlled players.

This attribute measures the accuracy and power of volleys at goal. It affects the technique and accuracy of shots taken while the ball is in the air.