Player Review

This Ibra card is simply exceptional regardless of the meta. Let me tell you why. I have used him EXCLUSIVELY AS A SUB. He has made 3 appearances for me, coming on at HALFTIME and scored 8 goals. He has yet to appear on 10 chem for me and has only played just over 100 in game minutes for me as one of my opponents rage quit not long into the second half after Ibra scored 3 goals by the 60th minute. You may be thinking that this is a very small sample size to write a review with but hear me out. I played against 3 opponents. Two had very strong teams, giving me an idea of what he can do against end game defenders while the third had a weak team giving me an idea of what he can do against those who cant bring the best CBs to the table (hint- complete domination). Let me get into some detail.

For context, I play him as the sole striker in the 4231. Instructions: Stay forward, stay central, target man. Chem style: engine.

One positive (or negative when you have to play against him) about Ibra, he is very easy to get. You just need 8 rivals wins scoring with a Serie A player. You'll complete the rest naturally. In fact, I got 5/8 wins and all of the other steps done while upgrading my 89 Mendy to 93 Mendy. I used my flashback Mertens which made it especially easy but cheap, good, Serie A options are plentiful. There's no excuse not to get him, especially since EA gave everyone 3 weeks.

Now, lets get into some stats. I've written some other reviews before (TOTS Ramos and a few others), and how I like to do things is go through key attributes that make this card successful while giving examples of how they do these things against specific top tier cards that are exceptional at countering that stat. I'll continue to do so with this Ibra review.

Pace: This is definitely the fastest Ibra I've ever used. He's much quicker than flashback and TOTS Ibra from last year and in this year's game, that is crucial. He's not going to outrun the elite tier CBs with 90+ pace such as TOTS Ramos with the ball at his feet but there's other ways of getting past them that I'll detail later. I found using him against opponents with weaker CBs outside that elite tier that they have a lot of difficulty keeping pace with this card.

Shooting: Every shot is a goal, right or left foot. Not much to say here other than Ibra hits every shot with outstanding power. Tactically, using him as a target man is very effective in this way as he can receive the ball at his feet, push off the defender, and turn to either side to bang the ball into the net. Once he's got the space, no one is getting between him and the net again. Even though he doesnt have that 5* WF we all want on our end game FIFA 20 players, it still feels like a 5* WF. In fact, I'd rather have him shoot on his left foot than my TOTS Neymar or SH Jovic who DO have a 5* WF.

Positioning: he doesnt make many runs (that's fine, I don't need my striker to make runs the way I play, using them as a target man) but he's ALWAYS in the right place inside the box for a high percentage shot or to slam home a rebound off the keeper. Defenders have

Passing: Very solid passer. No complaints here.

Dribbling: Ahhh the balance. It's 46!!!! But.... WHO CARES! This man is as light as someone 6'5" can possibly be on the ball thanks to his outstanding stats in all other areas of the dribbling category. You won't notice the balance whatsoever, I promise. He doesn't fall over easily and he turns very well. It was a pleasant surprise to be sure. He won't turn like the 5' something meta players like Neymar, Ben Yedder, etc, but he definitely isn't a Lukaku or a Drogba either. A similar comparable might be some of the larger TOTS strikers like Richarlison. I would argue he's lighter on the ball than SH Jovic (who I also love). An added benefit is the 5* skills. These allow you to easily slip past defenders you cant outmaneuver with left stick dribbling.

Physical: This is where Ibra truly shines. The man is an absolute tower of strength. One man, 2 men, even 3 men cant get the ball from him. He can easily bully TOTS Smalling who I have found to be one of the best physical defenders in the game from experience playing against him. As I'm sure you know, Smalling can be incredibly irritating to play against, especially against an opponent sitting deep. When you run into the box you cant let him near you because as soon as he does he'll push a smaller player off the ball and take the ball with incredible ease, almost like VVD. Because of this, it was lovely to see Ibra push him off and run right over him on the way to goal multiple times. I need to try him against a 99 VVD at some point to get the ultimate test (99 VVDs are still somewhat rare in game, I don't see them often) but I think if he can hold off Smalling and keep control of the ball, that's about as good of a test as you'll ever find. Some more examples: my current CB pairing is TOTS Ramos and Premium Militao. Militao just doesnt have the physical attributes to deal with Ibra when I play against him. I NEED to have Ramos marking Ibra because he at least gives me a chance of winning the ball and not getting pushed off and left in the dust while Ibra runs in on goal to blast one past the keeper. Ramos' ultra high aggression and compete levels are essential when dealing with players who outsize him like Ibra.

Stamina: The one true Achilles heel of this card. Even with him set on stay forward and with his lazy man work rates, this Ibra still tires much quicker than I'd like him to. I like to play a fast paced high pressure game so 73 stamina just isn't enough. If he had 85+ stamina I would find a way to make him start in my team. I still might but I don't want to have to sub him off early, I'd rather bring him on as an impact sub and have him change the game in its later stages.

Links: There's plenty of good links amongst the pool of end game players. Mertens, Allan, and Sandro SBC cards. Theo Hernandez and Kessie for strong links. Nearly all the serie A TOTS cards are extremely affordable. Go get a 99 CR7 if you have lots of coins. Icons from swaps and icon packs link to him. There's no shortage of links, and, if you use him as a sub like me, he doesnt even need them!

To summarize, this card is as good of a striker as I've used on this game. He's not perfect due to his stamina but in terms of what he brings to the table, he'll score enough goals in the time he is on the pitch to make up for the time he's sitting on the bench. I still recommend using him as a target man as this style of play will allow him to maximize his best attributes and get the most out of him. PLEASE GET THIS CARD! YOU'LL REGRET IT IF YOU DON'T!