Player Review

Lionel Messi is one of the greatest of our generation, and some would even say of all time. Known for his mazy dribbling, precise finishing, and winner mentality, he's a grandiose name in football.

In FIFA, he's no different. At 93 rated, he's the highest rated gold card on FIFA, and he has the stats to match.

With 90's for every important technical stat, he's that type of player you dream to buy. I bought him for 770,000 coins at the start of the game, but you can pick him up for as low as 650-750k depending on platform.

Taking a look at his traits, he has almost everything you can wish for, other than technical dribbler oddly enough.

In my current team, I use him as a Right attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1, although I've used him as a CAM and ST in a 3-5-2 previously, and he's performed admirably in all positions.

My instructions for him are to stay forward, get into the box for cross and stick to his position. The only 2 that are important here are to keep him forward, and to get into the box for crosses so he always stays in an attacking position

In 181 games I scored 221 goals and got 97 assists. I've used him in a mix of Division 5-3 division rivals, FUT champions and legendary squad battles.

With all that being said, let's get into the review.

PASSING

There's one word to describe his passing, exceptional, and most likely the best in the game. He can make through balls on the ground or over the top, lob to the other side of the field to switch up play or play the tiki taka style that barcelona are so well known for.

With 95 vision, 93 curve and 91 for both long and short passing, only De Bruyne is a better non-icon player.

As weird as it sounds, I don't use his great passing much, and that's because of the next area of his game I'll be talking about: His shooting

SHOOTING

Now, it's good and all having the best pass in the game, but his shooting is even more impressive. With 95 finishing, 94 long shots and 93 positioning, he already has endgame stats and he has the performances to match.

Inside the box, outside the box, weak foot or not, he's got it. He's also got 96 composure so he can finish even in the toughest scenarios. I can honestly say he's missed maybe 10 easy shots in the whole time I've had him, and the rest have gone in or seriously challenged the keeper.

Another thing to note is that he's in the right place at the right time way more often as a right CAM compared to anywhere else. His positioning as a central CAM and striker were nothing more than okay, but as a right CAM, I score significantly more with him and gives him more chance to flex his dribbling prowess.

DRIBBLING

Moving onto his dribbling, and I can't run out of superlatives for how well he can turn defenders into mincemeat. He doesn't have 5 star skills, but his agility , balance and dribbling all being above 90 means that he's so tough to tackle.

Additionally, he has little additional movements and animations that I believe only icons have which makes his dribbling even more silky. While being 5'7 makes him less of an aerial threat, it makes him much more agile and makes his centre of gravity perfect for his runs.

PHYSICAL

His physical definitely surprised me. He's only got 72 stamina and 69 strength, but he usually lasts the full 90 and can shrug off most fullbacks.

The only thing I can think of here is that he has 95 balance, but he's unnaturally strong for me. I also find that the ball sticks to him really well, kind of like how Ben Yedder does for some.

PACE

Now his pace is again an interesting one. Sometimes he feels lightning fast, sprinting past players like Semedo and Varane, but at other times he's outpaced by others like Ramos and Van Dijk. 

Overall, the only way I can rate this is inconsistent.

CONCLUSION

Now to close off, there's a reason I haven't put any alternate players. If you want Messi, you buy him. If you want someone like him, you won't be able to find it.

His output at Right Attacking Mid is just as good as my Joao Felix at striker, whereas his partner on the left has less than half that. 

I love him, and unless things change, he's in my team until the end.