Reviews

Gareth Bale and FIFA 20, under most circumstances, don't get along. For one thing, seeing the Welsh flag on a pack opening is usually dispiriting because it is never Bale. You always get Aaron Ramsey, and I don't think there's ever been a moment in my life where packing Ramsey brought a smile to my face. Even when you do pack one of the lesser versions of Gareth the Great, his so-so work-rates and 3-star WF don't really inspire much confidence. His Balance and Agility are also serious issues, which explains why virtually no one ever starts his base card. In all fairness, he's not done much in recent times to warrant a highly-rated base card, but Bale was always a highly coveted name in previous FIFA entries. Just a short time ago, EA released a CF version of Bale for TOTW Moments, and the card was fine enough, if still unspectacular. A few stat boosts don't make him a significantly better fit for the meta.

Then along came FUT Birthdays Gareth Bale, and oh sweet Neptune. This. Is. A. Card. I am a bang-average player, a Gold 2/3 Merchant, and occasionally the densest lump of untalented clay when it comes to finishing. And yet, Birthday Freakin' Bale is the fiercest goal-scorer I've ever used. Where most strikers will miss just wide of the posts with frightening regularity, Bale simply refuses to put shots off-target. At worst, you'll hit the crossbar once or twice. More typically, the AI goalkeeper saves kick in and make the sorts of stops that everyone universally despises FIFA 20 for. Birthday Bale as your lead ST, though, is a revelation. His dribbling, 4*/5* combo, and "It Factor" make him one of the most complete strikers in the game. With a Sniper chem style, Bale grades out as a 95-rated ST, and that holds true for a number of forward positions. He has great base passing, with enough Vision to feed passes out wide to his flanking wingers if he gets pinned by defenders.

What you'll find, however, is that Birthday Bale does not get stopped. He simply dribbles or powers through opposing CBs like a hot knife through butter. He has that Aubameyang-esque "get in behind" nature, where he'll shove defenders out of the way while making a forward run. Bale also possesses exceptional dribbling, and dances between opponents like it's nothing. I've never used a tall, lanky forward in this game that handles as tightly and precisely as Birthday Bale. With the boosted Agility and Dribbling stats from the Sniper style, Bale is filthy in tight spaces. It also makes him a nightmare match-up if you have pacey wings in close proximity, because he can easily feed them with quality passes to attack the box from multiple angles. I wouldn't have him sit as deeply as a CF in some of the 4-3-3 arrangements, but he does have some of the same qualities of a deeper-lying forward.

Once you're through on goal, Bale's exceptional finishing truly stands out. This lad vulcanizes the ball like an angry Greek god come to rain judgement upon the masses. What Bale's boot sees, dies. It takes miraculous stops to keep him from scoring, and he's finished an unearthly number of chances for me that few other forwards can match. At first, it took me a little getting used to because he still has Medium/Medium work-rates. Getting him to make the right run immediately isn't as easy as you might imagine. But, with some patient distribution and width play, Bale's attacking senses sharpen rapidly. Even off the ball, Gareth is an unbelievable threat in front of goal. We all know crossing opportunities are absolute garbage this year, but Bale doesn't care. He's volleyed some of the most absurd goals I've scored in a FIFA game, and he does it with terrifying regularity. There was one crossing opportunity where he popped off to the side of the CB and karate-kicked the ball into the top of the net. I don't recall another ST in this game that even attempts a move like that, and I've played against TOTY Ronaldo/Messi (too many times).

For all of the things I do adore about this card, I do have some very minor gripes. The first issue is that this card is insanely expensive. I play on PC, but it's not much better on Xbox or PS4. That said, if you're hovering around 2 million coins and need a clear end-game forward who can blister balls with incredible finesse, Birthday Bale is your man. I also have to point out that Medium/Medium work-rates on this card are a little frustrating. It's not a deal-breaker by any stretch, but every now and then, Gareth won't take a clear attacking route that any other ST would lock on to. Bale also has a weird tendency to take a lot of fouls, even without tackling. He's rated at 90 Strength and 73 Aggression, which often means he clatters into defenders clumsily but unintentionally. I've taken a couple of yellows with him and I didn't even initiate the tackle, which is mildly annoying. Bale is quite sturdy, though, which is great those driving power runs to overwhelm strong CBs. Beyond these quibbles, I'm not sure there's much else to find fault with here. His Balance rating will look poor to many, but I can assure you that he feels far better on the ball than you'd think. Birthday Bale is the best version of this card, and a top-10 (arguably top-5) ST in FIFA 20.