Best Path for Diego Maradona Evolution in EA FC 25

Following a three-year absence, Diego Maradona is back in the Ultimate Team for EA FC 25 as a part of the Grassroot Greats promo. The Argentinian legend was introduced with two cards: A free 77-rated given to all players, and an Icon version that is available in packs during the promo.

We know none of us are packing the Icon version, and buying it off the market for 10 million coins isn’t exactly affordable. Luckily, his free card is good once you do the Evolution — team him with Zizou’s free card during TOTY and your midfield is sorted!

There are three possible paths for Diego Maradona’s Evolution, and here is which one is better and whether the final EVO for 92 OVR is worth the coins.

How To Get The Free Diego Maradona Card In EA FC 25

If you have yet to get your hands on the free Diego Maradona card, all you have to do is log in to the EA FC 25 Ultimate Team before March 14, 2025. A pack named “Diego’s Dream” containing a 77 OVR Maradona card will be waiting at the store.

The 77 OVR card can then be put into the special Diego’s Dream Evolution, which you can find in the usual Evolutions menu of your Club.

All Diego Maradona Evolutions And The Best Path

In the Evolutions section, you’ll find a total of four EVOs. The top option, “El Pibe de Oro”, is a paid one, and the other three are available to pick at no charge.

Remember, you can only do one from Diego’s Dream I, II, and III — they’re not in any “order” to do one by one. All of this is written there, but we all have our not-so-bright moments, so don’t jump to Diego’s Dream I in excitement. With the base being only 77 OVR, we won’t judge you if you thought that you had to do all three to get to 89 OVR.

Below are all three Evolutions and how they compare.

Level	Challenges	Diego’s Dream I Upgrades	Diego’s Dream II Upgrades	Diego’s Dream III Upgrades
1	Play two matches in any mode using your active EVO player in the game.	• Overall: 6 • Pace: 3 • Passing: 4 • Dribbling: 5 • Defending: 3 • Physical: 7 • Playstyles: Pinged Pass	• Overall: 6 • Pace: 4 • Passing: 5 • Dribbling: 5 • Defending: 6 • Physical: 8 • Playstyles: Relentless	• Overall: 6 • Pace: 5 • Shooting: 7 • Dribbling: 6 • Defending: 6 • Playstyles: Trivela
2	• Win 2 matches in Rush, Rivals, Champions, or Squad Battles on minimum Semi-Pro using your active EVO player in the game. • Play 3 matches in Rush, Rivals, Champions, or Squad Battles on minimum Semi-Pro using your active EVO player in the game.	• Overall: 6 • Shooting: 8 • Passing: 12 • Defending: 3 • Physical: 10 • Skills: 1 • Playstyles: Relentless	• Overall: 6 • Shooting: 9 • Passing: 8 • Physical: 10 • Skills: 1 • Playstyles+: Power Shot	• Overall: 6 • Passing: 6 • Physical: 6 • Skills: 1 • Playstyles: Relentless
3	• Win 2 matches in Rush, Rivals, Champions, or Squad Battles on minimum Semi-Pro using your active EVO player in the game. • Play 4 matches in Rush, Rivals, Champions, or Squad Battles on minimum Semi-Pro using your active EVO player in the game.	• Playstyle+: Incisive Pass • Roles: Playmaker++, Shadow Striker++, Classic 10++, Half Winger+	Roles: Poacher++, Target Forward+, False 9++, Advance Forward++	• Passing: 9 • Physical: 10 • Playstyles: Relentless • Roles: Inside Forward++, Winger+
4	• Win 1 matches in Rush, Rivals, Champions, or Squad Battles on minimum Semi-Pro using your active EVO player in the game. • Play 3 matches in Rush, Rivals, Champions, or Squad Battles on minimum Semi-Pro using your active EVO player in the game	—	—	• Playstyles+: Technical • Roles: Inside Forward++
Total Upgrade	—	• Overall: 12 • Positions: CAM • Pace: 3 • Shooting: 8 • Passing: 16 • Dribbling: 5 • Defending: 6 • Physical: 17 • Skills: 1 • PlayStyles+: Incisive Pass • PlayStyles: Pinged Pass, Relentless • Roles: Playmaker++, Shadow Striker++, Classic 10++, Half Winger+	• Overall: 12 • Positions: ST • Pace: 4 • Shooting: 9 • Passing: 13 • Dribbling: 5 • Defending: 6 • Physical: 18 • Skills: 1 • PlayStyles+: Power Shot • PlayStyles: Relentless • Roles: Poacher++, Target Foward+, False 9++, Advance Foward++	• Overall: 12 • Positions: RM, RW, LW • Pace: 5 • Shooting: 7 • Passing: 15 • Dribbling: 6 • Defending: 6 • Physical: 16 • Skills: 1 • PlayStyles+: Technical • PlayStyles: Trivela, Relentless • Roles: Inside Forward++, Winger+

So, which is the best Diego’s Dream Evolution path?

Looking at the upgrades for each upgrade, Diego’s Dream III is the best of the three. For a player with the profile of Diego Maradona, both pace and dribbling will be important stats, and you get the most with the III. One of the best parts about the III EVO is that it makes Maradona versatile, and you can play him pretty much anywhere in the frontline except ST.

One drawback with Dream III is that it doesn’t give you the explosive pace we’d expect for a winger. Although with Maradona and Technical Playstyle+, you don’t need to be a pace merchant to humble defenders.

You won’t have a hard time finding a good CAM in EA FC 25, and you’ll likely have many contesting for it already, making Diego’s Dream I less tempting. A good LM and RM aren’t as common. Diego’s Dream I not only gives out the least amount of pace of the three Evolutions, but you’re also stuck with Maradona at CAM — a position you likely already have a ton of options for. Diego’s Dream II does make him a striker and provides a bit of flexibility, but the Playstyle+ reward isn’t as strong as others.

If you do absolutely need a CAM, Diego’s Dream I is a good choice. Sure, you can play CAM with others, but you’re missing out on other CAM-favoring Playstyles and Playstyles+. 

Taking all of that into account, we suggest going for Diego’s Dream III. However, at the end of the day, all three will give you a good card, so you’re still free to pick whichever position your team needs the most. It doesn’t make sense to pick III if you already have stacked players on the wings, and likewise for the other two.

After you’ve chosen the path, the time comes for the paid El Pibe de Oro Evolution.

Is Diego Maradona’s Paid “El Pibe de Oro” Evolution Worth It In EA Sports FC 25?

Yes, El Pibe de Oro Evolution is worth doing for Diego Maradona. It adds +2 (Pace, Shooting, Passing, Dribbling), +4 Physicality, +3 OVR, Finesse Shot Playstyle+, and the Quick Step playstyle. All of these are good upgrades, and with them, Maradona becomes an amazing card any Ultimate Team player can use.

El Pibe de Oro Evolution will cost you either 500,000 coins or 1,000 FC Points — the latter being a premium in-game currency that needs to be bought with real money. If you do not have a lot of coins, getting 500,000 will make for a decent grind. 1,000 FC Points is a shortcut and will cost $10 / £9. We won’t police your financial decisions, so you’re free to make your choice here.

However, we suggest coins. You’re unlikely to get a good player of the same caliber for the coins, and the EVO can be started at any point between now and April 7, 2025. Of course, if you’re grinding the many packs for Grassroot Greats, wait until the promo ends just in case you pack the other 96 OVR Icon added for the event.