Player Review

Pace:

For a CB, 85 standard pace is pretty acceptable and with a chemistry style, such as shadow, to boost it does make him feel faster in game. How much faster is up for debate. As of yet, I haven't been able to face an attacker that Rudiger hasn't been able to run down, but I don't think that Anchor is recommended and Shadow is the better option if you really want to chase down the Mbappe types.

Shooting:

As far as heading goes, I think that he does really well to retain the ball in ariel situations. Even against the bigger more physical forwards, Antonio does the job with ease in the air. Unfortunately, it's on corners and that final touch that I would've liked to see better. Out of 18 matches, I have only managed to score 2 headers with Rudiger and several other chances either saved, or gone awry. Shot power is the only shooting stat that is noticeably decent on this card and it shows if you actually do manage to get a 1 on 1 situation. In general, most of this in the shooting aspect is to be expected.

Passing:

This is where things get interesting. I have paired this card with TOTY Ruben Dias, and it's not at all uncommon for me to have to clean up the messes left behind by Rudiger. I can't put my finger on it, but in high pressure situations and even simple passing scenarios, this card fell short for me and was prone to a lot of mistakes and bad giveaways. I wouldn't go as far to say as it requires a chemistry style to boost, as he may play different for others, but I was really hoping for a lot better standard passing on such a great card otherwise. Switching the play isn't always the hardest, but when forced to make a quick decision and deliver the right pass, I expect to be caught out.

Dribbling:

Really impressed by the agility and overall feel of this card when on the ball. Medium/High work rates show here and you generally won't be having to do a whole lot of dribbling as this is a defender that retains the ball and gets rid of it, rather than making occasional runs forward or playing in the back. For a 6 ft 3 CB and High Average body type, nothing to complain about here and I would argue that his dribbling fits the general meta for CBs. 2 star skill moves is to be expected and probably something no one will care about, including myself.

Defending:

This guy is a tank. Even against some of the best dribblers you can find, Rudiger does the job and does it really well. Again, there are times where he whiffs the tackle or gets the EA treatment, but nothing that I think that is at fault of the card or even the player. I've come up against this card numerous times, and it's almost like serving a prison sentence. High defensive work rates is really nice and noticeable in game as he's always where he needs to be and if paired with the right CB, you can risk overcommitting and even benefitting from it with really top class standing tackling.

Physicality:

One of the most physical CBs I have used thus far in FIFA 22. Only 1 card has managed to simply overpower this card when on the attack, and it was Zlatan. Of course. Generally, for a TOTYHM card you would hope to have that sort of meta forcefield on a center half and Rudiger certainly has an aura that is unbearable for many attackers. I wouldn't go as far to say as it is a Varane competition in terms of physicality, but he's certainly up there and can put just about any forward in their place. When it comes to stamina, I didn't notice any issues either, although I never entered extra time with him or had any sort of stress testing on his endurance.

Overall:

For the current price of 570k on Xbox and 650k on Origin and PS4, I can safely say that it is worth it in my opinion. I really enjoy using this card and I think that you would too, especially if you can get passed the passing errors. At the current stage in the game, he has the potential to win you matches for sure and although there may be cheaper alternatives, this is a player that I find it hard to consider getting rid of, even for Varane considering he's half the price.