FC 24 86 Cristiano Ronaldo Player Review

Slowly but surely we are starting to get the hang of this game and so far I would echo the numerous complaints that I have read about speed of play, it feels a touch on the slow side, but overall it has offered some enjoyable moments and I am loving the PlayStyles concept.

Along with all of the new concepts and the name change there have been some drastic card changes as well.  The age-old debate over who deserves what rating is a classic start of the cycle discussion… and perhaps the most intriguing move was the -4 rating reduction of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Despite the rating on the card I still felt that the OP version of CR7 from past FIFA editions would linger on in the new EAFC universe.  To set things off, the application of the ENGINE chemistry style seemed the best fit to get the Portuguese goal machine leading the line in my 4-2-2-2 formation.  Side Note: I am still wondering what other FC Managers are using in game?  I have heard that the 4-4-2 and 4-1-2-1-2 (2) are back?

Within a few matches, not all felt right and I did move to a HAWK for the Controlled Lengthy AcceleRATE… but that was generally a failure and it was back to the ENGINE to complete the review.  CR7 was the finishing touch behind the following squad all weekend:

Overall 

For those that want to join me in the conspiracy that there are cards with hidden statistics… unfortunately CR7 did not fall into that category and essentially what you see is what you get.  In some cases this was fantastic and those statistics led to 13 goals and a single assist in 7 matches.  But in other cases it was plain to see that this card has been nerfed to an 86 overall rated operator.  

Main Statistics – Shooting

Shooting Rating: 9/10

Weak Foot: ★★★★

PlayStyles: Trivela, Power Shot Plus

The Weak Foot continues to be a growing issue in EAFC 24 and more and more I find myself looking for 5 STAR options more than in the past.  Ronaldo was about 50/50 on left footed chances, scoring some crazy finishes with ample power, almost immediately followed by scuffing clear cut chances wide.

On the more dominant right foot, CR7 was quite clinical and it is to be expected from a baseline 87 FINISHING, 92 SHOT POWER & 85 LONG SHOTS.  The small experiment with the HAWK Chem Style did add to quality, but the downsides were too prevalent to keep it applied.

But in the end there was one area where CR7 literally blew the doors off of this review… Outside the box Power Shots with this card and the Plus Playstyle are insane.  It was as if CR7 was playing Mystery Ball, except he always had the Shot Power Ball equipped.

Value/Coins

Value/Coins: 3/5

The Power Shot insanity and his aerial prowess aside, CR7 really doesn’t perform much different than an 86 rated card should.  He has moments, but outside of that it was a pretty mundane review in the end and incredibly disappointing from that standpoint.  From a strictly value for coins I would say the 60k price tag warrants a 4/5 rating.  However, when you factor in the need to try and get Ronaldo on chem, it is entirely not worth it and lowers the value even more.  Al Jaber was quite disappointing and overall it was a struggle to fit CR7 into the mix.

Good vs. Bad 

Good vs Bad Rating: 4/5

Outside of the Shooting there were still some highlights, but on a smaller and less frequent scale.

+ The Physicality and Pace are always two CR7 staples and this year the one has faded, while the other is limited.  From a Physical standpoint Ronaldo’s 76 STRENGTH was often enough given the size of the card, however, against some of the more OP defenders it did feel like the ball was always up from grabs when Ronaldo was on it. 

From there it was a lot of disappointment and memories of what used to be.

- The Pace is really the killer here and the 77 ACCELERATION is painfully slow to get going, while the 84 SPRINT SPEED was far from lethal.  There was more than one occasion where I was sure Ronaldo was through, only to be caught up and ultimately stifled.

- Given the slower Acceleration, 80 AGILITY & 69 BALANCE it was just never going to be a left stick dribbling dream and at times was more of a nightmare.  The 5 STAR SKILLS is one area to exploit for those that can make the magic happen, but in the end it just won’t cause the same danger as smaller, quicker, and more agile players.

Closing Words

Temporarily the end of an era for me.  I am sure there are more and more upgraded versions of CR7 to come and in time he will rise from the ashes and regain his pixelated prowess.  But for now it is a sit, wait and avoid for me on this card.

Hoping you are well.  Cheers for reading.