Future Stars Icon David Beckham Player Review

The Future Stars Promo rolls on as a new batch of potential stars flooded into the market Friday, accompanied by another set of flashback ICONs before they were stars.  Included in this mix was none other than a baby faced version of Golden Balls himself… David Beckham.

The immediate reaction after seeing this card was “where to play him?”  Truthfully Becks has fantastic PlayStyles to facilitate both an outside attacking role and through the center of the pitch… But in the end it was the attacking “box to box” role in the 4-3-2-1 that seemed the ideal spot to truly see what this card can deliver across a Weekend League test. 

Almost as difficult as the position is the Chemistry Style, which again offers a healthy debate when selecting the best option.  ENGINE, SHADOW & ANCHOR all offer midfield upside… While the FINISHER is an attacking dream… And then you can use the FUTBIN RRP MAX and the POWERHOUSE & MAESTRO give the highest rating for a CM.  In the end this basically felt more like a “no wrong answer” situation than one of vital importance and I applied the SHADOW for the heavy Pace boost.

Beckham added the spice needed to achieve success across a hotly contested Weekend League run all weekend long in the following squad:

Overall 

Rating: 9.5/10

While the DEAD BALL Plus always feels like a bit of a waste given the sporadic opportunities to take advantage of the PlayStyle… Just about every other PlayStyle on Beckham is on the list of FUT Managers favorites.  Having an attacking player that can WHIPPED PASS Plus, INCISIVE PASS, FINESSE & TRIVELA feels like a cheat code… Midfielders that have INTERCEPT are always in hot demand… then you add BRUISER & RELENTLESS for ball winning along with the LONG BALL PASS to spray the ball around the pitch and it is borderline the perfect box to box midfielder all in one superstar package… And like a superstar, Beckham delivered all weekend long.

Main Statistics – Attacking Production

Pace Rating: 9/10

Shooting Rating: 9/10

Dribbling Rating: 9/10

Passing Rating: 10/10

Weak Foot: ★★★★

PlayStyles: Whipped Pass Plus, Incisive Pass, Long Ball Pass, Finesse Shot, Trivela, Chip Shot

I realize that the Good vs Bad category is not going to have much left in terms of positive comments but this card is 100% the total package in the midfield and each statistic and attribute feels like it is benefitting the next towards producing a fantastic card.

From the off the 91 ACCELERATION & 96 SPRINT SPEED were immediately noticeable and perhaps one of the areas where just one PlayStyle boost could have taken Beckham that little bit further.  But in the end there were few moments where this card felt anything but rapid and fluid in movement.  The 84 BALANCE & 91 BALANCE were another area of concern but again proved more than enough to move about the pitch, avoiding challenges and setting up chances.

Once the movement was sorted it was like watching an artist paint a masterpiece with Beckham on the ball and the 6 goals and 6 assists in 5 matches from the midfield proves just how vital those brushstrokes were.  The endless variety of PlayStyles truly produced magic along the way during this review and while the DEAD BALL Plus did provide the corner threat, I didn’t actually win a free kick in an area to truly test the quality towards goal.

Value/Coins

Value/Coins: 5/5

For me this is one of the premier midfielders available in the game and the price tag was always going to be a representation of that.  However, the one card I might turn to as potential proof that Beckham might just need to come down in price a little would be Winter Wildcard Putellas at 1.75 million.  The Barcelona midfielder is quite popular and has a similar overflowing list of PlayStyles in her locker.  I would expect to see Beckham drop over this weekend and look like an even better value for coins, but as it stands, it didn’t feel like a waste at all.

Good vs. Bad 

Good vs Bad Rating: 5/5

The defensive side of Beckham’s game did not stand out as noticeably during this review, but there was still a contribution to the benefit of the squad.

+ The INTERCEPT PlayStyle is one of the must haves for midfielders and was constantly noticeable despite the 82 INTERCEPTIONS on the card.  In fact the 81 STANDING TACKLE also proved surprisingly effective and made the decision to avoid the SHADOW or ANCHOR Chemistry Styles feel like a good one.

+ Loved the RELENTLESS PlayStyle and 92 STAMINA.  Having used Future Stars ICON Gerrard in this position last weekend it was insane to see the impact of those statistics on Beckham’s ability to last 90 minutes.  While Gerrard was often feeling the effects of the work required to play in that position, Beckham seemed unphased throughout the match.

In the end the negatives on this card are few and far between and the performances truly warrant the near perfect rating overall.

- In a perfect world the 5 STAR WEAK FOOT could allow this card that little bit of extra production on the left foot… The 77 STRENGTH could be that little bit higher on a card patrolling the midfield… and a Pace related PlayStyle would be phenomenal.  

Closing Words

If it isn’t clear already, this card is a must try.  Hopefully the price tag comes down to a more FUT Manager friendly number and affords more opportunities to get Beckham into squads.  The card does have a substantial versatility that could be tapped into more... Especially by those utilizing wider midfielders who could certainly benefit more by the WHIPPED PASS Plus.  Overall this was a midfield performance of considerable quality and it will hurt to part ways with Beckham as the Weekend League closes… His performances on a level that will be difficult to replicate for most cards in the game.

Hoping you are well.  Cheers for reading