Reviews

Hello guys, i asked you in the comments if you wanted me to review this bad boy and it seems you would like that so here we go.

Marco Van Basten is probably one of the best (if not the best) strikers to ever grace the football pitch. When i opened my baby icon pack back in FIFA 20, i saw a Netherlands flag and i was over the moon because i thought i had got the main man Cruyff. But i didnt, i got this bad boy. My first thought was, meh, it could have been way worse. He went straight into my team and replaced POTM Aubameyang. I used him with first IF Hazard and that duo destroyed the opposition with one two passes and many many many finesse shots. They were both amazing and i absolutely loved Van Basten. Why am i writing all of this? Its because this very nice memory of Marco from last year, made me get him again in this FIFA with no hesitation. The game this year is very different and i could not use him the same way i did last year. But i think i have found the best way to make the most out of this great Dutch striker. Stick with me.

First of all, i am a Div 2 player, you can see the squad i use down below. I use him as a Striker with Get in Behind and Long Ball custom tactic with Gold Mane as a CAM behind him in a 4-2-3-1 formation. From the games i have played with him, i found him to be pacey with get in behind and hunter, and when the through ball goes through with his strength and big body, he can most of the times go 1v1 vs the keeper and outrun the defender, but he must have had got the position vs the defender at first as he rarely outpaces them. If he is in front of the defender, his 85 sprint speed plus hunter is enough.

I dont think i must say enough about his finishing, it is out of this world, either chip shots, finesse shots, power shots, whatever you like. His stats will do the talking, not me. His 4 star WF isnt bad, he can score many goals with his left, but you should not rely on it 100% of the time.

His dribbling can feel clunky at times, not like his stats suggest, maybe due to his big body, but when he is in the box, a fake shot is enough to put the defender on skates, thats up to you tho. I am not a skiller, but i use some 4* and 5* skill moves. The 3* skill moves make him very predictable, he cant do much, thats really bad, but there is a way to make him really useable.

His passing is straight up mediocre. Not much to say here.

How do i use him and how should you use him?

I think there are 2 ways to use him. You can use his pace (not every time) and get in behind with long through balls but, the best way to use him in my opinion is to build up your attack and let him get in the box. His positioning is amazing and will help you a lot when you are building up the attack. Dont hold the ball too long with him, when he gets it try and get rid of it as fast as you can as i have found out that his dribbling isnt the best for me.When you get in the box with your wingers, try to find him, it isnt going to be difficult because the AI with good positioning stats help you a lot. A Fake shot or a drag back inside the box is enough for you to get into a scoring position, and trust me, if he is in the box with the tiniest bit of space his going to bang that sizzle into the back of the net with either foot.

The trick for me is not to hold the ball too long with him and try to build an attack all specialized for him.

This is my first review ever, i am not English so if i make any errors please forgive me. Thank you for your time :)

My god... I have used Van Basten 89 in FIFA 19 and FIFA 20 and scored more than 2000 goals. This year it could not be the exception. Bought him for 485k to use him in the 2nd Weekend League. 50 goals in the 2nd WL and 42 in the 3rd WL. His shooting is just AMAZING.

ok so, im a casual player, i play div4 and gold2 in wl. My favourite striker of all time is mvb, i dont care about all the drama around him, for me he's the best. So when i got enoughh to get him i had to buy that card. I applied hunter in a 4-1-2-1-2 narrow and tbh i didnt expect much from him as he isnt meta. BUt trust me, i was surprised. 10 games, 14 goals, 9 assists. The goat. Its always fun to use icons even if they arent "meta" but just have fun :) I mean of cours youre not getting the most fast, agile player, but trust me he was pulling the strings of the attack.

Packed him from base icon pack a while ago. Overall, I think he is a decent card. Pace is not bad, but I recommend improving it with a hunter or engine. The shooting is just sublime - he has an absolute rocket of a right foot, the four star weak foot also makes the shooting even more excellent. His strength and jumping stats are fairly good as well.

My main complaint is regarding his balance. Despite having good agility, Van Basten's balance makes him feel like a battleship when making turns and he will sometimes almost trip on the ball (hence why I recommend an engine for him). The passing is pretty bad as well but it would be too harsh to judge him for that as passing is not the strong suit for most strikers. The three star skills area let down.

On the whole, this is a pretty good card - the shooting makes it really stand out. Don't let the low price in comparison to other icons fool you - this is a classic example of an icon which is severely over hated by people, simply because they are annoyed about not packing Pele or Zidane from their icon pack.