Player Review

Ok, so Sunday night a week ago, after winning 13 out of my first 20 weekend league games, I went on a 7-game losing streak, before finally getting to Gold 3 on my 28th game, close to midnight. I decided to have a quick check of the SBCs that I hadn't checked yet and saw there was a 81+ player pick pack. I checked my low-end gold fodder and saw I was really low, so wasn't going to bother, but the just said "whatever, just do it". I did one. I opened the pick pack. 95 Ronaldo. I stare at my TV for 5 minutes in utter disbelief. The best card I've had out of any pack in my 8 years of playing Ultimate Team.

My first problem was to create a team around him. Almost all of my players were untradeable, and I'd grown attached to a few so needed to keep some of them. In the end, I decided to go with this: https://www.futbin.com/21/squad/6561337 (Hart was obviously a very recent addition, I had Alisson in goal at the time). I switch to a 4-4-2 (2) in-game, with Ronaldo as the left striker. He's on engine chem style. I have him on stay central and mixed attacking runs.

The first ten games I played with him were in Division 4 rivals, and I have to admit that I struggled to use him at first, having never used Ronaldo in Ultimate Team before. Nonetheless, he was lethal and scored an average of one a game.

Eventually, I started to work out how to use him effectively, and have just gotten to Gold 1 in WL for the first time ever. In total, he's now played 42 games with him, scoring 63 goals and 18 assists.

When I said he averaged a goal a game when I couldn't use him properly, most of those goals came from corners. He is absolutely lethal in the air. I've learned how to put in well-timed lofted crosses into the box for him and he is so deadly. He always seems to get to the header from corners. In the air, he must be one of the best, if not the best on the game. Just so good. Even with a lofted cross, which doesn't have much pace on it, he generates so much power from the header. It's insane how good he is.

Shooting from range with him is godly. Seriously godly. I have never used anyone like him. It says he doesn't have the finesse shot trait, but I've taken a lot of finesse shots with him from outside the area and they are just so accurate, even if he's angled awkwardly when taking the shot. Even if he doesn't score every time, every single shot at least gets close, and he has scored so many goals for me just from finesse shots from 18-25 yards out.

I normally like to play the ball in front of my strikers for them to run onto it, but Ronaldo doesn't deal with this as well as an Mbappe or Mane, hence why i struggled with him at first. However, play the ball into feet, and he is so good at holding onto it with his strength and ball control. At first I tried having him on "Get in behind" attacking runs, but it was a complete waste on him. He needs to play slightly deeper to get the best out of him.

Playing through balls in behind doesn't always work with him, but when he is through on goal, he scores every time.

His passing is quite immaculate, and he is so good at playing through balls in behind for Mbappe/Mane/Neymar to run onto.

His dribbling is just funny. Most 6ft2" strikers in this game are so sluggish, but seeing this guy turn and move with the ball just looks so weird because of how good he is.

I'll be honest, if I had him tradeable, I'd have sold him for the 5.5 million coins he was worth when I first checked his price. However, seeing as I have him untradeable, I'm glad I'm stuck with him, and will be using him right until the end of FIFA 21. He really is an insane player.