FC 25 92 FUT Birthday Thuram Player Review

I know I probably say this too often, but FUT Bday truly is one of my favorite promos EA have ever delivered.  Some of the early signs suggest that this year's rendition could be one to remember and hopefully the balance and grind lead to another chapter in solid content.

Obviously with the 5 STAR/ 5 STAR across the board this was always going to be an interesting choice.  Quite a few options that could improve squads and potentially last until TOTS and other end game promos.  There were a few names thrown around but I just kept coming back to an FC25 mainstay in Marcus Thuram.  The Inter striker was an early favorite in many squads… We looked at his Ultimate Succession, which proved insanely potent… and now we come full circle with the FUT BDay edition.

As you can see in my squad my midfield was blessed with one of the solid level 40 ICON picks and Thunderstruck Gullit now patrols the center of the park, which did cause a shake up in formation as I would rather he play CM than CAM.  This brought back the 4-1-2-1-2(2) formation this weekend, obviously with little effect on Thuram, but nonetheless something new. The Chemistry Style was a bit of a conversation as well with Thuram looking solid after applying both the FINISHER & HAWK… But this time around it was a HUNTER application as the clear standout for me.  All that was left was to see if version three of Thuram could continue the ridiculous results of the previous two in the following squad:

Rating: 9/10

Ya, this card is a serious problem… I am not sure what price categorizes a cheap beast at this point, but this card has to be one of the best value for coin attackers in the game.  The way that this card flies around the pitch is unbelievable and reminded me a lot of Thunderstruck Isak when he was fresh on the scene.  Just over 20 goal contributions in 5 matches of Champs is bordering on ridiculous and it honestly could have been more if not for a few quits along the way.

Main Statistics – Shooting

Weak Foot: ★★★★★

Shooting Rating: 10/10

PlayStyles: Power Shot Plus, Finesse Shot, Aerial

Hands down Thuram is one of my favorite attackers in the game and can stand alongside giants when it comes to his finishing stature.  Honorable Mention Kane… Wildcard Dalglish… Even Thunderstruck Isak (before he fell behind the curve)... All of these clinical finishers in the game cannot outstrip Thuram in terms of reliability in front of goal and why I continue coming back to more improved versions of the French striker.

The addition of the 5 STAR WEAK FOOT has only added to the potency and weapons that were already at Thuram’s disposal in previous cards… The POWER SHOT Plus is another positive as well.  Combined with the HUNTER boosting the 98 FINISHING & 95 SHOT POWER, there were some great goals in only 5 matches of gameplay.  I probably didn’t test the 85 LONG SHOTS quite enough but was happy with the couple of efforts Thuram unleashed on goal.  

As if the weak foot upgrade and ridiculous statistics were not enough… Thuram started attempting, and at times scoring, bicycle kicks for fun in this short review.  Two goals, a cross bar, a goal line clearance… and all threatening my opponents sanity.  Watching Thuram’s 192cm | 6’4 frame soaring through the air before sledgehammering shots out of the sky is about all of the motivation I needed to highlight this card once again as one of the key finishers that I have used in the game.

Value/Coins

Value/Coins: 5/5

Honestly this is as close as you get to a 6/5 and really you could have told me this card was 1 million coins and I wouldn’t hesitate to say he is worth it.  I know that the pack weight felt high, I know people saved lots for the promo, I know everyone and their dog is now 5 STAR/5 STAR, and I know EVOs are certainly affecting prices… But 145k for this card is bonkers.

Good vs. Bad 

Good vs Bad Rating: 5/5

It really just went from strength to strength (sometimes literally) for Thuram this weekend.

+ Thuram must have RAPID as a hidden PlayStyle and no one can convince me otherwise.  Even with the 99/99 Pace perfection after the HUNTER application I was not expecting the Frenchman to be that fast.  The QUICK STEP is a nice addition and added to the potency of the Dribbling, but the top end speed caused most of the issues throughout.  Then you add in the 90 STAMINA and RELENTLESS PlayStyle and it is simply too fun.

- The Dribbling and Passing are two areas that didn’t quite make the perfect 10/10 rating and yet there is not much negative to mention.  From a Dribbling perspective the QUICK STEP is solid, the 5 STAR SKILLS are there, and there is even an agility about this card that seemed beyond the 86 AGILITY rating.  Similarly some of the Passing in this review felt more accurate than 87 SHORT PASSING.  In almost all cases Thuram just overperforms statistics and expectations that come with those levels.  

Closing Words

Not for the first time, it is worth pointing out that again another version of Thuram feels like the jammiest card in the mix.  The 94 STRENGTH helps a lot with these interactions and leads to Thuram bouncing out into great spaces.  The 99 JUMPING was also impressive and sparked a fantastic goal where Thuram’s knock down header eventually created an assist and goal during the review.  All in all, this card has it all, and one that I can’t recommend enough.  He is a game breaker and yet won’t break the bank… What more can you ask for, a must try.

Hoping you are well.  Cheers for reading.