FUT 22 Cheap Gems: Best Budget Players to Start With

Early in the game, players who are both cheap and good are a big gem, and we should make the most of them and save up coins to move on to the big names later.

Who Are the Cheap FUT 22 Gems?

Here is our series of fifteen outstanding cheap FUT 22 gems that will help you across various formations and league/nation systems.

NOTE: Here we are talking about base cards that should not be a big obstacle in your starting budget!

Cheap FUT 22 Defenders

St. Juste

Jeremiah St. Juste of FSV Mainz has a great card. With an overall rating of only 76, it will be an easy card to get.

Yes, but St. Juste's card has 91 pace, 78 dribbling, 73 defending and 73 physical. Paired with a solid centre-back, his pace and quickness will be very useful in the early moves, and he stands out as a low-cost player who is likely to link well as a Dutchman in Germany.

Gvardiol

Josko Gvardiol is a young hope of Croatian football. Although his real-life form is not off the charts, his card will be quite valid early on. 83 pace, 71 dribbling, 71 defending and 83 physical. Good attributes for a 75-rated player.

Unfortunately, outside the Bundesliga, the players you can link him with are Modrić, Kovačić and Brozović… but those cards may not be as good in terms of value for money.

The examples I gave for St. Juste apply to Gvardiol as well. The player's 81-rated Team of the Week card also came out. Those saving coins can easily consider this card too.

Lacroix

Wolfsburg's Lacroix literally outdid himself last season. He could link very easily with the game's top defenders and midfielders, which made him one of the cheapest yet strongest defenders late in the game. His new card certainly qualifies as a FUT 22 cheap gem with 88 pace, 80 defending and 77 physical. Although an average price of around 20,000 may seem expensive to some, at that pace, as a Bundesliga-linked Frenchman, he is definitely a player who can be fitted into a squad.

Klostermann

Klostermann can link nicely with Gvardiol or Lacroix. If you pick two of these three and link them with Mbabu, conceding goals will become considerably harder for beginner-level opponents. Still, he is 80 OVR, which means the price may be quite high during the first week.

Mbabu

Mbabu's base card looks nicely overpowered once again! Finding a right-back is always hard, especially good ones and especially early on. Mbabu's 88 pace put him ahead of his peers. Although 73 dribbling is not high, combined with 80 physical, it produces an imposing figure and a very fast right-back who can defend quite well.

Tomori

Let's move from the Bundesliga to Italy's Serie A! We have an Englishman with 82 pace, 80 defending and 79 physical. He looks quite adequate, especially for a start. If you are going to start the game with Serie A, pull Tomori without thinking!

Timber

I can almost hear the English joking, "Get me two timber from over there!" Jokes aside, Timber will be heavily used early in the game. This card is one of the chief architects of FUT 22 cheap gem players. If you are going to build a team around Dutch or Eredivisie players, put Timber at the top of your list.

Cheap FUT 22 Midfielders

Renato Sanches

Here we have a versatile midfielder with excellent base stats. His lowest attributes are 72 defending, 74 shooting and 77 passing. Everything else (pace, dribbling and physical) is at 84, rounding out a very well-built 80 OVR package.

Onyeka

If Renato Sanches is too expensive at the start, you can always give Onyeka a chance! Brentford's central defensive midfielder has 87 pace and 81 physical. The combination of 72 dribbling and 72 defending will give you a solid anchor at the back and the ability to beat opposing players. That said, I can say I definitely wouldn't consider him as a passing link in that area. What is 66 passing? Don't forget to put in the cards with the highest passing to help him out a bit.

Mwepu

Brighton's Mwepu is an ordinary gold player with incredible stats. A central midfielder with all stats above 70 always means business! His best stats are his 82 pace and 79 physical. Onyeka and Mwepu could be a hot central midfield duo in the first week of FIFA 22.

Camavinga

Want to build a La Liga squad right away? Or maybe you are interested in a French squad, or even a hybrid… Camavinga will be one of your key players, at least early on. Even if he can't shoot, he will be a real threat to opposing players. He is versatile, can easily link with many options and is very cheap for a start. With his especially high dribbling ability, you can make him a complete midfielder with the pace and passing chemistry styles you apply to him.

Gravenberch

Ajax's midfielder Gravenberch should be a good midfielder early in the game. However, since he is a Dutch Eredivisie player, you have very limited link options. But as a great backup, he can do you huge favors later in the match. In terms of price, his 78 rating and playing in the Dutch Eredivisie tell us he is very cheap without even looking at the game.

Cheap FUT 22 Attackers and Strikers

Armstrong

Southampton's Adam Armstrong has 90 pace, 77 shooting, 76 dribbling and 71 physical. Of course, although his secondary attributes are not as good as his pace, he is a good card to pick up and try early in the game.

Inaki Williams

Inaki Williams was an absolute beast in FIFA 21. I just loved his card. Fortunately, we have basically the same card here too!

He has 94 pace, 81 physical and 79 shooting. His passing and dribbling should not be underestimated either. In short, if you want someone you can keep playing the ball behind the opposing goalkeeper, that man is definitely Inaki!

Antonio

Finally, West Ham's Antonio! The man is causing storms in the Premier League this season, scoring four goals in many games, and he looks absolutely terrifying. He controls the ball, is fast, can dribble and finish! All his stats (except defending) are above 73, with pace and physical at 83. Not bad for a cheap FIFA 22 gem at just 79 overall!

Did you like these cheap but gem-worthy FIFA 22 players? Which of these players would you use? You can leave your thoughts in the comments below.