Grassroot Greats gets its themed Evolution in Grassroot Growth that’ll give a lower-rated promo card some boost in stats and a good Playstyle+. Unlike the Star Power EVOs of Future Stars, Grassroot Growth is free in EA FC 25, so you’re not losing out on anything by doing it.
For doing Grassroot Growth, a player will get Tiki Taka+ and improved defending, pace, shooting, and passing, among other stats. Given the attributes effected, the obvious players that benefit the most from this EVO are midfielders, which narrows down the already-limited pool of players to choose from when applying it.
Of the eligible players, here are the ones that benefit the most from the upgrade Grassroot Growth gives.
EA FC 25 Grassroot Growth Evolution Requirements And Upgrades
All you need for Grassroot Growth Evolution in EA FC 25 is a Grassroots Great player card that is rated 88 or lower. All eligible players are:
- Giovanni Di Lorenzo (88)
- Moïse Bombito (88)
- Hakan Çalhanoğlu (88)
- Rachel Daly (88)
- Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu (88)
- Fran Kirby (88)
- Gabriela García (87)
- Ryan Williams (87)
- Ethan Pinnock (87)
- Morgan Gibbs-White (87)
- Mattia Zaccagni (87)
And, here are the total upgrades you’ll get:
- SM: +1 (max 4)
- WF: +1 (max 4)
- PlayStyle+: Tiki Taka (max 2)
- PlayStyle: Tiki Taka, Press Proven (max 10)
- Overall: +2
- Defending: +1 (max 89)
- Physicality: +1 (max 88)
- Shooting: +2 (max 90)
- Pace: +2 (max 90)
- Passing: +3 (max 89)
- Agility: +3 (max 89)
- Balance: +4 (max 89)
- Reactions: +4 (max 91)
- Composure: +3 (max 90)
If the player already has two Playstyle+ or maximum base Playstyles, the existing ones will be retained, and you won’t gain Tiki Taka. Meanwhile, the challenges are the same as any other — play a certain amount of matches in Rush, Rivals, Champions, or Squad Battles and win a few along the way.
Top 5 Picks For EA FC 25 Grassroot Growth Evolution
Below are five players that fit right for the Grassroot Growth Evolution in EA FC 25.
1. Fran Kirby
Fran Kirby’s Grassroot Greats card was added as an SBC, and you won’t need more than 50,000 to complete it without fodder Put her into the Grassroot Growth Evolution to get a versatile CAM that can play RM, RW, and ST with the Incisive Pass+ and Tiki Taka+ playstyles — if that isn’t among the best value-for-money CAMs you’ll find in the game, we don’t know who else is.
Just look at all the final stats. Plus, the playstyles you get are everything you’d need in an ideal CAM. The only reason you might not want to consider her is that we already have plenty of good CAMs, but her versatility more than makes up for it. Even if you already have an irreplaceable CAM, she will be amazing as a sub, too.
Of all the cards that benefit from the Grassroot Growth Evolution, Kirby is the biggest standout, and we highly suggest doing this for her instead of other players on the list. There is a reason we ranked her right at the top!
2. Hakan Çalhanoglu
Hakan Çalhanoglu is the other standout for the Evolution in EA FC 25. He gets virtually all the stats upgrades as well as the base playstyles. Though he misses out on Playstyle+ (Anticipate and Pinged Pass are good for CDMs), you get the base Tiki Taka, so it’s not a total loss even if you have a Tiki Taka setup.
All the base playstyles Hakan Çalhanoglu have are already excellent, and getting both Press Proven and Tiki Taka makes him a genuinely solid defensive midfielder with nice all-around stats. The Evolution also makes him competitive with N’Golo Kanté’s Grassroot Greats SBC and can potentially save you half a million coins.
On paper, Curl It In is a better EVO for Hakan Çalhanoglu than Grassroot Growth, but he’ll lose the special chemistry of the promo cards. With other better candidates for Curl It In, we recommend sticking to Grassroot Growth for Çalhanoglu.
3. Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu
Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu is another good card that benefits from the SBCs and goes neck and neck with Hakan Çalhanoglu. One thing that makes him less tempting is that Mapanzu has fewer playstyles than Çalhanoglu. Sure, he has higher pace, but these are players you’re likely to use as CDMs.
But Mpanzu being rapid is a plus if you are looking for a player of that profile. He certainly feels good to play and is capable of bursting through the midfield. Not to forget, Mpanzu gets Tiki Taka+. The EVO also pushes the stats that matter into the high 80s.
Overall, we found Evolutions upgrades more suited for Çalhanoglu than for Mpanzu as he has higher stats across the board except for pace and physical. Mpanzu still remains a totally solid candidate.
4. Morgan Gibbs-White
Morgan Gibbs-White’s Grassroot Greats card can be obtained through Objectives, so he is certainly the “cheapest” to do in this list. He gets all the increases in stats and also has a good range of playstyles that make him a worthy all-round candidate. Gibbs-White gets the Tiki Taka+ playstyle, and he is versatile, capable of playing at both CM and RM.
But if you’re strictly looking for a CAM, Fran Kirby is a much better pick. You’re also contesting for a position that has no shortage of good players here.
You can forgo the Grassroot Growth path and hope for better future EVOs more suited to him. Morgan Gibbs-White is still a good choice, nonetheless, and obviously better than those we did not mention on this list.
5. Giovanni Di Lorenzo
Giovanni Di Lorenzo is another solid chance for Evolution, and you get a very capable 90 OVR right back after completing it. He gets both the base playstyle and a good boost in stats. Although all of this isn’t very remarkable, Di Lorenzo is still a good choice when you consider the range of playstyles he has.
He doesn’t get any pace boost or Tiki Taka+, but both Intercept and Jockey+ are good upgrades, particularly for RB. With the boost to his passing and base Tiki Taka, you can involve him more in the attack. Use something like the Anchor or Shadow chem styles and you’re all set!
It still might be better to wait for a different EVO that makes Di Lorenzo a more all-around great player. That’s only in case you have team chemistry that won’t get impacted after forgoing the bonus from Grassroots Greats. Another alternative option then will be Ryan Williams. The Evolution makes more sense for Williams since she is hard to link.
One other player that deserves a shout is Moïse Bombito. His 97 pace as a CB is tempting enough. Unfortunately, Grassroot Growth doesn’t boost his defense by much, and other boosted stats remain underwhelming. Bombito probably needs one that improves more than this, but as a Canadian League 1 player, he will be very hard to link. So, you may have to just settle with this Evolution.
Is The Grassroot Growth Evolution Worth Doing In EA FC 25?
Yes, Grassroot Growth in EA FC 25 is worth doing as it is free. Don’t use it on just anyone, though, unless you see a good upgrade and playstyle benefits. Make sure the upgrades are benefiting the profile of the player. Otherwise, wait for better EVOs.
One thing that makes Grassroot Growth worth doing is that it won’t break the special Grassroot Greats chemistry. Using Grassroot Greats players on any other Evolution changes their card rarity, making them lose the chemistry bonus. Players that are harder to link would be better off on this path even though stat upgrades are somewhat better elsewhere.
The fact that the stats upgrade is rather marginal with Grassroot Growth remains, however, so there is a high possibility that future EVOs might bring a better upgrade, especially for easy-to-link players. The playstyles are great to have, regardless.
If you have packed a good CDM like Pascal Groß or a quality CAM from the promo, it is better to do this with the hope of a chain in the future. You’re unlikely to find much value in this Evolution with good midfielders already. So yeah, it might be wise to wait until the end of February to see if there are more suitable EVOs, as Grassroot Growth isn’t leaving until then.
Published: Feb 20, 2025 3:41 PM UTC