FC 24 93 Golazo Dimitar Berbatov Player Review

While we always like the return of fan favorite promos it was nice to see a little switch up from the familiar content of previous years.  Obviously the simple release of yet another different set of boosted cards (albeit with a Hero and ICON focus) feels like a bit of a wasted opportunity for something unique… there were still some interesting options in order to build on current teams.

Honestly any reason to break out the silky smooth compilations of Dimitar Berbatov and I am there.  The Bulgarian Baller was a walking highlight reel with talents so unique that you can perform one of his trademark techniques in game with the Berba Spin.  Of course the irony that Berbatov has the 5 STAR SKILLS and therefore only Berba Spins while sprinting is not lost on anyone… Add it to the list.

The 4-2-2-2 experiment continues and honestly it has been a mixed bag of results… One second it is free flowing with options available all over the pitch and plenty of cover in the midfield… The next there isn’t an outlet available and it plays like I am playing down a player in the middle of the pitch.  In the case of Golazo Berbatov I was optimistic that the 4-2-2-2 would 100% suit his style and could see him providing the perfect partner to any option from my squad.

The HUNTER Chemistry Style jumped out as the one of the only options to optimize Berbatov who proved to be the sharpshooter all weekend long in the following squad:

Overall 

Rating: 7.5/10

We have all experienced cards (often ICONs) with “hidden statistics” and will over perform their rating.  Similarly there are cards that simply do not live up to the level that they should, and unfortunately this was the case of a few of Berbatov’s categories.  In the end the 13 goal contributions in 7 matches feels like it needs a massive asterix beside that totals, as Berbatov amassed the majority of those in three of the matches.  Berbatov blanked in two of the matches against more difficult opponents and again in a poor gameplay match.  While he does certainly provide a sharpshooting potency, it is difficult to get him in the areas to practice his craft.

Main Statistics – Shooting

Shooting Rating: 9/10

Weak Foot: ★★★★

PlayStyles: Finesse Shot Plus, Trivela Plus, Power Shot, Chip Shot 

Basically Berbatov is one more star WEAK FOOT away from being a perfect 10/10 and when you get him in the correct areas he is generally going to take his chances.  While a few left footed efforts went frustratingly wide, it was a pretty clinical performance overall.

I think that the scissor kick alone is probably worth 9/10, but if you needed more proof it is certainly in the statistics.  With the HUNTER application Berbatov moves to 99 FINISHING & 96 SHOT POWER and the sting behind his finishes is noticeable.  The 83 LONG SHOTS would normally be a concern but the FINESSE SHOT PLUS & POWER SHOT PlayStyles both seemed to negate any deficiencies and still ended up with the ball in the back of the net. 

Still haven’t even mentioned the CHIP SHOT or TRIVELA PLUS PlayStyles, nor the 99 VOLLEYS and in the end that is the perfect summary of Berbatov’s Shooting rating… Just too many statistics and PlayStyles to not be fantastic.

Value/Coins

Value/Coins: 3/5

Might be a bit harsh with this one but at the same time I could have easily gone lower.  The 300k is not the problem, the performances were, and while the card is still definitely usable… You just wouldn’t in the end.  There are a lot of solid looking statistics with Berbatov and the Shooting was fantastic… But the rest of those solid looking statistics never performed to the adequate levels and made for a very frustrating review. 

Good vs. Bad 

Good vs Bad Rating: 3/5

While the overall review felt a bit negative, there were still a few more bright spots along the way. 

+ The Dribbling with this card is certainly an area that just about reached the levels you would expect.  In fact the on the ball feel of Berbatov is actually quite responsive and the 5 STAR SKILLS in the right hands will always cause problems.  The TECHNICAL & FIRST TOUCH PlayStyles are also key additions and really the only reason for a downgrade is more to do with Pace than anything else.

It has been a while since a card had more negative than positive comments, and again speaks to the poor value even with a cheaper card.  

- The saying Pace kills was never more adequate than with this review… Except in this case it wasn’t killing my opponents and instead was the lack of Pace with Berbatov killing my squads attacking flow.  With 96 ACCELERATION & 99 SPRINT SPEED after the HUNTER application the Pace was the last thing I thought would derail this review.  But the 189cm | 6’2 frame combined with the CONTROLLED AcceleRATE and a lack of Pace related PlayStyles ultimately left Berbatov in the mud.

- The Passing was just about as disappointing as the 91 VISION & 90 SHORT PASSING should have produced a lot better end product… But I truthfully feel that there were many times that Berbatov simply could not create the angles needed to utilize those statistics due to this lack of pace.

Closing Words

After the Golazo Promo had dropped and the cards were into packs I started playing around with the different options and which Chemistry Styles would suit them.  In all honesty Berbatov’s combination of PlayStyles and ridiculous statistics after applying HUNTER Chemistry Style had me excited to jump into Weekend League and aim for a solid finish.  I sit here now with one of my worst starts in recent weeks and the complete lack of production from Berbatov in difficult matches certainly did not help matters at all.  The card looks amazing from a dynamic image, card design, and statistics standpoint… But produced an ugly performance on the pitch… I would steer clear of this one.                

Hoping you are well.  Cheers for reading