Introduced in EAFC 24, Evolutions were a game-changing mechanic that allowed you to take a base version of a player, complete a series of challenges, and unlock an upgraded version. As someone who tends to avoid meta cards, and considering the more casual competition on the Nintendo Switch, I decided to take on EAFC 25 Ultimate Team using primarily Evolution players.

Every year that Evolutions have been part of the game, I’ve loved diving into two or three leagues to focus on evolving players—and this year was no exception! I kicked things off with a deep dive into the K-League and Sweden’s Allsvenskan, scouting some real gems. And just to spice things up, I threw in a few standout players from Liga Portugal too!

Unfortunately, the site I relied on has taken down its EAFC 25 Evolutions section, so I can’t provide a full list of every player I used. But before diving into my top ten picks, let’s kick things off with a few honourable mentions! (Scroll through the gallery under each player to see their full profile!)

Ramon Pascal Lundqvist

Lundqvist was an absolute standout for me during the early to mid-game grind. Operating mainly as a CAM in my 4-3-2-1 setup, he racked up a staggering 653 goal contributions across 666 matches—an incredible return that kept my attack firing!

Choi Kyoung Rok

Another of my early Evolutions, Choi locked down a wide central midfield role and absolutely bossed games from box to box. Across 593 matches, he delivered an impressive 521 goal contributions—an engine in midfield and a constant threat going forward!

Jeremiah St. Juste

“He might not be the flashiest Evo featured in this article, but St. Juste was a rock in my defence during the early game, racking up 424 appearances. Blisteringly quick and, thanks to his Evolution boost, an absolute force in the tackle! He was a nightmare for pacey strikers to get past.

Fredrik Aursnes

Much like St. Juste, Aursnes was a cornerstone of my backline during the early game, locking down the Right Back spot with consistency and grit. He was one of those underrated cards that played way above his face stats, ultimately racking up 476 appearances. I did evolve him further during Team of the Season, but he eventually lost his starting spot to another standout fullback… but more on that gem later!

Niccolo Pisilli

“Pisilli was my pick from the Future Stars Icon promotion, and I kept building on his Evolution chain as the game progressed. He anchored my midfield during the mid-game and later became a solid impact sub in the end game. From his deep lying role, he made a remarkable 775 appearances, delivering 292 goal contributions. Quietly consistent and always reliable when it mattered most.

End Game Evo’s – Buchanan, Stach, Zafeiris

These three were from end game evolutions and are easily some of the best players in their positions available. They may have made the top ten had there been more time left to play

10: Arturo Vidal

Vidal was one of my more recent Evolutions, but he easily cracks the top ten! He’s a perfect example of just how fun and transformative the Evolutions system can be. Renowned for his box to box brilliance in real life, his evolved card took on a new role for me at Left Midfield, playing as a lethal inside forward. Sharp in and around the box and rock solid defensively out wide, Vidal became a cornerstone of my end game squad.

9: Hwang Jae Won

Hwang is one of the players who sat in my team from Early to End game, slowly improving with each evolution added to his chain. The ultimate utility player for me, playing across all four of his positions (CB, RB, CDM & CM) making 686 appearances in the process.

8: Simon Thern

Thern was an absolute mainstay in my squad throughout the early to mid game, consistently starting as a central midfielder before eventually pushing forward into the CAM role. He made a triumphant return during the end game phase and delivered once again, racking up over 1,000 appearances across the year. A true club legend and definitely a player I’ll be looking to evolve in FC26!

7: Gustav Ludwigson

This absolute demon carried me through the mid-game, powering me to Rank 1s and 2s in Champions. Originally converted to a striker via one of the Winter Evolutions, Ludwigson tore through opposing defences with ruthless efficiency, leading me to countless wins. For one final hurrah, I slapped on a late game Evolution; he didn’t just live up to the hype, he outperformed his stats in my last FUT Champs run. With a jaw-dropping 1,055 goal contributions in just 647 appearances, Ludwigson cemented his place as a true club legend.

6: Lee Seung Woo

With his relentless runs down the flank, pinpoint crosses, and lethal set pieces, Lee genuinely felt like the Korean David Beckham! He held down the left wing spot for nearly the entire game cycle until Vidal edged him out late on, but not before putting up some crazy numbers. With 1,330 goal contributions in 1,202 matches from left midfield, he delivered the best return I’ve ever had from any winger in any iteration of EAFC. Fingers crossed I find a way to slot him into my FC26 squad!

5: Wilmer Odefalk

I discovered an Evolution chain for Odefalk around the mid-game, and from that point on, he became a fixture in my midfield for the rest of the cycle. Versatile, reliable, and endlessly effective, he could do it all and, alongside another standout we’ll be covering soon, he dominated the midfield battle in every match he played

4: Javier Zanetti

Zanetti released as an SBC in November and, up until the last month of the game, never left my starting 11! I added him to evolutions which gave him access to playing both Right Back and Left Back & he managed to rack up 1475 games in total. Quick, powerful, perfect in the tackle and with a solid cross, Zanetti was the perfect fullback for me throughout!

We have the big three up next! All three of these players could easily stake a claim for the number one spot and I’ll certainly be looking to add them to my squad as soon as possible in FC26.

Before we move on to those three however, check out the gallery below for more of my evolutions!

3: Diego Luna

Imagine crossing a prime Messi with a prime Tevez – this is exactly how Luna felt on the pitch! I completed the first part of his chain in February resulting in the below:

Prompting me to joke about already having an MLS TOTS level player three months early.

Luna dominated opposition defences with ease – his dribbling as clean as the 99 stat suggests whilst his finishing was phenomenal. I often ended up double checking whether he had a chip shot playstyle as his chipped finishes were incredible.

I moved him to CAM in my 4411 formation for the end game and this only enhanced his goalscoring.

He finished the game with an incredible 2569 G/A in only 1358 appearances; hopefully I’ll be able to evo him throughout FC26 to recreate some of his American magic!

2: Jeong Seung Won

Chain 1: Early-Mid game

Chain 2: Mid-End Game

Jeong was an ever present in my squad throughout the FC25 lifecycle. Playing in the centre of midfield, Jeong dominated games for me. Perfect defensively, excellent going forward, press resistant and, due to his Relentless+ a demon in the press who never seemed to deplete his stamina.

Thankfully, Jeong transferred to FC Seoul mid way through the season so I could create an even more overpowered card to his last. He finished the game with a total of 916 goals and 910 assists across 2315 games; considering he was playing as a Deep Lying midfielder on defend for the vast majority of these games, those are incredible stats.

With his FC26 base card looking like an excellent starting point, you can be sure I’ll be trying to evolve him again throughout the coming year!

1: Malcolm Jeng

Chain 1: Early-Late game

Chain 2: End Game

Jeng was the first player I evolved in FC25 and he played in almost every single game of Rivals and Champions I participated in throughout this year.

My captain, operating as either a left back or centre back was a brick wall at the back and a threat in the final third. Particularly ending up as my set piece specialist

2613 Games, 459 Goals, 247 Assists, I can’t wait to try and evo his new Feyenoord card in FC26!