Player Review

Rivals: DIV 4

Weekend League: Gold 2 mostly

Let me start by saying this, I don't normally give a bad rating to a card, or in general, make a judgement that a card is bad. And that is because for most of the time I don't play around much with a bad card. If it doesn't click in 2-3 games, I would sell the card, move on, and say that the card just did not suit my team or playstyle, instead of saying that it was bad. However, it is different with this Benzema UCL card because I actually clocked in more than 100 games with him. So I know what I'm writing about because I gave him enough chances and enough time. In that 100 games, I tried at least 4 different chemistry styles (hunter, finisher, maestro, marksman), tried various instructions, tried many formations, tried playing him as lone striker, as CAM, paired him up front, everything. Even worse, half of the games was in squad battles (on legendary) because most of the time I was experimenting with him, and it will dawn on you how bad 1 goal in every 4 games is when half of your games are in SB. I had the players to supply the ball around him too, there were Modric, Bale, Mbappe, Griezmann and lately, RTTF Kondogbia, Future Stars Aouar, Prime Nakata and RTTF Ben Yedder. It's not like he does not have a support system around him.

You might ask me, why all the troubles? Simple. He is untradeable. So trust me when I say that there is no other people who want this card to be good more than I do, just because I can't sell him. I packed him untradeable when he was first released as an 86 rated. I was pretty happy, and since the card most likely will get updated overtime due to Real's chance of progressing, I thought might as well fit him into my team somehow.The card design is awesome, the stats was good and it could go up to at least 88, or best, 90. What could go wrong, right? Everything. Let me give a complete part-by-part analysis below.

PACE 8/10

Don't be surprised, but his pace is actually his only salvageable attributes. 79 is not good in FUT standard by any means, but it is the least surprising one during the match. You get what you see. He is not fast, and he is not slow. He is.....79. I used to put hunter on him and the pace also went up accordingly, although not spectacularly. Hence, the 8 final rating for pace.

ATTACKING PROWESS 4/10

This is actually the most disappointing part of this card in terms of expectations. Because I would have overlooked all the other flaws if he is banging them in constantly. But he is not. I checked his shooting stats so many times just to make sure that I didn't misread anything because this guy misses BIG TIME. He basically only score goals that my centre backs would not miss were they in the same position (like tap-ins). But any other simple situation that you would expect a striker to finish like one-on-one for example, he would miss them spectacularly, almost as if on purpose. I lost count on how many times I go back and watch a replay just to make sure it was not my shooting direction or power that was causing it. And it's very weird because he has an almost perfect shooting stats with hunter and finisher, but none worked. Don't even get me started on positioning. 90 positioning is a lie. This guy won't get into space or get in behind the defender even when instructed. He won't even drag back to get into a tap-in position when my wingers is inside the penalty box. And the most misleading stats of all time: 99 heading accuracy. Sure, the 74 jumping isn't great. But boost that jumping to 84 with chemistry, combined with his more than average 185 cm height and 99 heading, you would expect him to be banging crosses and corners right? Wrong, wrong, wrong. Out of the 26 goals I scored with him, his head only contributed to a few of them.

PASSING & PHYSICALITY 3/10

If the attacking prowess is the one that let you down the most, these two are the most disappointing in literal sense. Why do I put these two together? Because they are crucial in hold up play. And I love hold up play in fifa. I used to play with harry kane (he is still in my fitness squad right now) and for me he is the best striker for this kind of play and he thrives in that position (298 goals and 110 assist in 388 games). Benzema has better passing and dribbling, though slightly less physicality compared to kane, so I decided to have him perform the same role. Boy, worst decision ever. He passes like an amateur most of the time and gets pushed away by everyone. Literally, EVERYONE. That "shield the ball" button DOES NOT work on this guy. Maestro and marksman does not do anything to improve that part. Thats why passing and physicality scores the lowest in my verdict.

DRIBBLING 6/10

This stat is also misleading because 85 does not tell the whole story. Low agility and balance make him so clunky and heavy to turn. But I give this one a barely passing mark just because it is sort of what you expect from Benzema, although it is still disappointing.

In conclusion, I have 240k striker laying around in my club that does not fit anywhere. Weirdly enough, I still refuse to give up and will continue to give him further chances, just because I have no other options and I see the other reviews are actually saying good things about him. But in the meantime, although i feel sorry for him, he has been poor for my team.