Player Review

I will preface this review by saying that by no means am I a good FIFA player. It often takes me all 30 games to achieve my goal of Gold III, and I simply play the game for the love of squad building and playing with my favourite players. I also apologize for the lengthy review, this was the first time I ever felt compelled to write a review so here we go.

My performance this weekend league was full of ups and downs. After my first twelve games, I found myself in a terrible position at 4-8 after 12 games. My gameplay was extremely delayed and slow, and I couldn’t get anything going offensively while my defense was just awful. So, full of despair I made a rash decision. I decided to complete the Flashback Gareth Bale SBC. I am a big Gareth Bale fan, and his TOTY Nominee card from FIFA 19 was one of my favourites in the game. So, I decided to use my precious fodder to bring back this man-bunned legend to the club. I was also lucky enough to get Ndombele in my red picks on Thursday, so I could easily fit Gareth in my team. Anyway, to say Gareth Bale’s addition turned around my performance was an understatement. I finished Saturday with 6 wins and 2 losses to sit at 10-10 after the two days, and Sunday morning I came out of the gates to be 13-11 after 24 games. One more win for Gold III and I could move on with my weekend and finish some homework. But then disaster struck. I lost my next 5 games and was left with just one shot for the two player picks. So, I did as Gareth would. I took a break and went to play golf (it may have been one of my worst rounds of the year, but hey it’s the thought that counts). I queue into the final game, on the road no less against a wonderful Varane-Mendy partnership, and force extra time in the dying embers of the game. And who shows up when the game is on the line in extra time? That’s right. Gareth Bale, with a goal and an assist to propel me into the promised land of Gold III.

I’m sure by now, if you are still reading this, you are wondering how he actually plays in game, so here is my average-FIFA-player analysis for Gareth Bale, who I played at left ST in a 4-3-1-2 next to FUT birthday Marco Reus (also an absolute beauty).

Stats:

GP: 18 // G: 22 // A: 13

Pace: 9/10

He’s fast. This man has some absolute wheels. But, on the odd occasion, he did get caught or failed to break away from his man, which is why it wasn’t a perfect 10/10 from me.

Shooting: 8.5/10

Let’s get this straight, his left foot is an absolute cannon. He hammers the ball into the net. However, I did find him missing some opportunities, mainly chips and finesses. His 3-star weak foot was also somewhat noticeable. But as long as you keep it on his left this man does not mis much.

Passing: 9/10

As a striker, most of the passes Gareth completed were short 1-2’s. However, he did manage to thread the needle quite a few times. Overall, he can pass pretty well.

Dribbling: 8.5/10

Some very fraudulent gameplay made Gareth’s dribbling hard to describe. I definitely wish he had 5-star skills as I often found myself in situations where a quick scoop turn could have led to an easy opportunity. However, for his size and stature, he did feel responsive on the ball.

Defending: 6/10

I didn’t defend much with Gareth as a striker, but he did put in a good foot once in a while when he needed to.

Physical: 7.5/10

First off, this man can leap like a salmon. He rises like no other to win headers off corners, and scored some clutch goals doing so. His stamina was okay, he could go the distance, but, I was most disappointed by his strength, it did feel like he got pushed off the ball a few too many times.

Clutch gene: 10/10

Ice in the f**cking veins mate.

Final words:

In conclusion, I don’t regret doing this SBC one bit. As we head into May, I want to use the players I enjoy most in real life, not necessarily the most meta players in game. Nonetheless, Gareth did not disappoint and if you are on the edge and are a fan of man-buns, I would definitely recommend this Welshman.