FC 25 94 Immortals David Ginola Player Review

The Immortals promo kickstarted this weekend with some of the most OP cards you can imagine flying into packs… along with some ultimate trolls with the various “baby” versions available as well.  Like, what am I going to do with this 89 baby Nedved that I am sure 99% of the community now has?  I guess we all just sit and pray for the perfect EVO…

This weekend we turn to one of the cards that I have traditionally not got on with.  For one reason or another Ginola is notoriously a card that causes me issues when in my opponents squad, and that I can not use to save my life.  I am not sure why but it never seems to work out with the Frenchman and I was hoping that I could rewrite some history and experience some success this weekend.

If you tuned in last weekend then you will know that I have officially fallen to the dark side of the 4-2-1-3 and it is hard to go back after experiencing a team that actually functions as it should.  The AI actually moves your players into logical positions and in general there are attacking options and defensive cover.  I don’t even think this is an OP formation at this point, it is just one of the few that actually functions properly.  With a shameful return to the rat formation it was then a question of where to fit Ginola into the mix.  Truthfully there was an argument for ST, CAM and even at LW and so I gave each a go with the hope of reporting back the best option.  In any case, it was the HUNTER Chemistry Style for me, which I realize won’t be overly popular, but without any Shooting PlayStyle+ options I felt maxing out the Shooting would be best.  With that, Ginola was ready to lead the line, then run the channels, and finally work his magic in the middle of the pitch all weekend long in the following squad:

Rating: 9/10

More of a 9.5/10 than anything this card is bordering on the edge of perfect, save for a few minor omissions, this card is simply insane.  If anything the biggest dilemma remains where to play Ginola if he was to stay in my squad.  Obviously each manager will have their own formations and players that they prefer/need, but in this case there was no real standout position as Ginola was fantastic wherever he played and in all three cases maybe one small addition away from the perfect option.

Main Statistic - Pace & Power

Pace Rating: 10/10

Dribbling: 10/10

Physical Rating: 9/10

Skills: ★★★★★

PlayStyles: Technical Plus, Press Proven Plus, Quick Step, First Touch, Flair, Trickster, Quick Step, Relentless

I figure this is the place to start given it was definitely the standout combination and overall “feel” that made me enjoy this review so much.  My issue with Ginola in the past has always been the lack of Pace and quickness compared to many of the other top tier cards, and given his normally inflated price tags it is an issue I simply can’t look past.  But this was different… 

Ginola not only uses the QUICK STEP PlayStyle and 99 ACCELERATION, but the 99 SPRINT SPEED as well.  Time after time I was expecting Ginola to be caught by defenders, only to watch him speed away or shrug off any potential tracking runs.  At one point even tossing Theo Hernandez aside and leaving him for dead, which I did not think was possible.  If this wasn’t enough Ginola is also one of the quickest TECHNICAL dribblers I have used in some time and was a nightmare for my opponents to defend.

If the 5 STAR SKILLS, 94 AGILITY & 90 BALANCE, 94 DRIBBLING and a host of Dribbling PlayStyles are still not enough and a defender does eventually lay a hand on Ginola… The 93 STRENGTH is noticeable and causes a handful for defenders, resulting in some jammy goals to accompany the other highlight reel finishes. 

Value/Coins

Value/Coins: 5/5

At 3.4 million I was already writing this section in my mind when I was buying Ginola… “With the current market in the tank there are simply too many top tier cards at bargain bin prices to consider Ginola good value…”  But then I got into this review and watched the Frenchman score 16 goals and assist 7 more in 5 matches and when I get to the Shooting I will explain how it could have been even more.  Over 4 goal contributions per match is an incredible return and I don’t see why that wouldn’t continue given all of the attributes attached to this card and why I think 3 million isn’t as crazy as I thought at the beginning.

Good vs. Bad 

Good vs Bad Rating: 5/5

More weapons, zero weaknesses, one major omission.

+ The speed with this card opens up lanes that your opponents have to respect and cover, opening up opportunities to thread passes for assists.  Enter the INCISIVE PASS Plus and the combination of 97 VISION & 90 SHORT PASSING.  I can see why people would go for the ENGINE, but I think the HUNTER almost helped the Passing more by opening up so much space for Ginola to pick the right passes, which he did consistently.

+ Maybe the irony of this review is that previous Ginola options simply never missed for me and it was everything else that kind of underwhelmed.  In this case even 16 goals in 5 matches wasn’t enough for a perfect rating with the reason being, he really should have had more.  The 97 SHOT POWER & 99 FINISHING on a 5 STAR WEAK FOOT is how the goals accumulated so quickly… Any version of the FINESSE SHOT and/or LOW DRIVEN would have seen those numbers increase exponentially.  There were at least 10 moments where under-curled finesse shots or a low driven post let my opponents off the hook.

Closing Words

Piggybacking off of the missed opportunities we come back to where Ginola should be deployed.  As a LW and ST there were occasions that Ginola’s lack of Shooting PlayStyles led to missed chances that I can guarantee other attackers would have finished.  Yet in most of those cases it was the Pace and Dribbling of Ginola that created the opportunities in the first place.  But in the end it was at the CAM position that Ginola started to really stand out.  The power through the midfield mixed with the INCISIVE PASS was lethal, and if anything, shooting from a bit farther out allowed Ginola to utilize laces shots (both POWER SHOT and not) that often found the back of the net.  Wherever you use him, this card is insane and exactly what I have wanted Ginola to be for some years now… Just as lethal for me as he is for my opponents.

Hoping you are well.  Cheers for reading.