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Player Review
95 - TOTGS
Dear Messi fans,
This one is mainly for you, the ones dedicated to doing everything in their power in order to change the way they survive the current meta and incorporate this magician in their squads.
I've been a fan of this player since the very first day he stepped in for the first team in October of 2004 and Ill probably be telling stories about him to my grandkids one day. Having said that, I'll try to be as objective, during this review, as possible, since he is not "as broken" as Neymar, Mbappe and the other rats everyone keeps using non stop this year.
First and foremost, do not buy this card if you are planning to use him wide. He is simply wasted. Do. not. use. him. wide. I was lucky enough to pack his normal card two months ago, and this specific one a week ago, and I've found that with the current meta, he is most useful as a CAM and a Striker (rarer instances)
If you play the 4231 or 41212 and love the through balls, play him as a CAM. This card has the best passing stats in the game and it will remain like this until his TOTY card drops. He is simply amazing. Pass it to him, create space with the left stick, manually make your striker run and simply time your pass with Messi. 8 out of 10 times, your striker will be through on goal (The remaining 2 will probably end up being offsides,because the referees in this game are blind)
If you decide to play him as a striker, I highly recommend you to use some narrow formations, or at least set your offensive style to maximum 3-4 bars. Why? Because Messi isn't the type of player to spring through meta defenders - he is weak and can be easily pushed off. He is the type of player you create space with and he usually needs another player for some rapid 1-2's until he is through on goal or has the space for a long distance banger. (I personally don't use him as a striker, as he is a lot more impactful at the CAM position)
- Shooting: Look at the stats. No, for real. Scroll up and look at this. Finishing? Positioning? Long shots? Shooting traits? This guy is absurd. 4* wf? LMAO, what a joke. Left or right, he doesn't care - the outcome is the same. Top bins, top bins and more top bins. Best shooter (I am not saying striker, Ill discuss in the cons why) in the game. He scores everything he should and everything he shouldn't score.
- Passing: No comment. Best passer hands down.
- Dribbling: I would argue that he doesn't need a 5* wf, not even a 4* wf, because all you need is your left stick. He is unreal, he got that STICKY (AYYY NICK). Pass it to him, create space, pass/finesse from wherever you want.
- Pace: A noticeable difference from his gold card, but still doesn't feel as fast as other 88 pace players. Don't get me wrong, he is very fast, but maybe not meta fast (partly due to his physicality stats, which help defenders push him off if you run in a straight line)
I promised to be as objective as humanly possible, so here we go:
- As I already said, he isn't the best striker if you decide to play him solo or as a second striker in a WIDE formation. He simply gets lost on the pitch due to his work rates, or gets pushed off the ball easily due to his strength.
- Stamina: bUt yOu SaId He Is A GreAT CAM. Yes, yes he is. Possibly the best cam you can have in the game, if you KNOW how to save his stamina. What I'd suggest is the most usual: Stay Forward, Conservative Interceptions combo. Due to his amazing positioning, he is always where you need him to be and he always finds space to receive the ball, so don't worry about him not coming back when he needs to. The most important thing is to let go of that spring button when you use him. 7 out of 10 times, you'll be in a position where you'd face your opponent's CDMs. Don't.Try.To.Spring.By.Them. Just left stick dribble past them. That way you will not only save his stamina, but also find that its a lot easier to trick them (since most CDMs lack the agility/balance, you can easily break their ankles without any special 4* mambo-jambo)
- Physicality: The main reason why he isn't your meta player. Body type and physicality. Those two are the main reason this card is often times misused and misjudged. Don't play him like you'd play Mbappe or CR7. Don't expect him to push other players off the ball and magically phase through defenders (Looking at you, running fake shot abusers)
In conclusion, I believe that this card exists with the sole purpose of bringing back the fun and creativity in this game. He brings something no other player does. He isn't the best card at first, but with time, once you get used to his play style and positioning, he completely changes the way you'd play the game. Of course, if you use him as a CAM and put a broken striker in front, its game over.
Enjoy him while you can, because this is probably one of the last years in FIFA, when Messi will be as impactful as he is now. (Of course, not counting all the future TOTY and TOTS he'd receive, after all, EA will milk the hell out of him, even if his base card has 75 pace one day in the upcoming few years)
It was a pleasure writing this review, I hope you had a nice read. Thank you very much for your time and attention. If you can, try him, you'll definitely not regret it! Peace!
