Eusébio (89)

Lockdown.  Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, aka “Ice”, aka “Baby” … a plethora of nicknames given by FUT Managers who make the game look a lot better than I ever could.  I prefer o Rei (King) as this card truly is one of the kings of FUT.  Whatever you call him, 89 Baby Eusébio was, is, and will continue to be one of the premier cards in FIFA 20.  With a blip in the available cards to review we felt it was time to go searching for the Golden Ticket… the perfect 10/10 in FIFA 20 (under 4 million of course).  While Eusébio seemed like a good place to start, I had already had experience with this card having used him many moons ago during my Flashback Modric review.  I was not blown away by Eusébio at that time, but having not been my focus I was interested in diving into the deep end yet again to see if Eusébio would sink or swim.  Having secured the funds to buy my baby back, I applied the HAWK chemistry style, placed the King as the right ST in my 4-4-2, and jumped into what was truly a nightmare weekend.  Yet through it all, Eusébio reigned supreme match after match in the following squad: 
 

Overall

Rating: 9.7/10  
Pace Rating: 9.8/10
Dribbling Rating: 9.7/10
Shooting Rating: 9.7/10
Passing Rating: 9.8/10
Physical Rating: 9.0/10
Defending Rating: N/A

Fool me once, shame on you… fool me twice, shame on me… I realize that I am maybe being a bit ridiculous given that this card is still a premier option, but 89 Eusébio just doesn’t sprinkle the stardust quite as I expect.  Now before everyone starts typing in CAPS in the comments… I do highly rate this card (obviously from the 9.7), but still a LONG .3 away from perfect. The main issue is gameplay related, and while not directly a card flaw, it is a constant issue in FIFA and therefore affects card value/rating for me.  In quality gameplay, this card absolutely flies and the 22 goals in 20 games are one of the most misleading returns I have had. If you follow me @IVIaeday on Twitter you would know that I had 8 rage quits in Eusébio’s 20 matches this weekend, including matches at 1-0, 2-0 and other quite low score lines.  It was as if my opponent watched Eusébio in action and felt, “why bother.”  These early quits deprived Eusébio of some quality returns for the weekend for sure.  On the flip side, again if you looked at my weekend results you would also see some really low scoring losses.  Any degradation in gameplay completely sends this card for a loop, leaving him a shadow of himself and completely incapable of changing the game like you know he can.  So disappointing in the moment, and even now looking back on it I am having nightmares of the slow turns and constant post hitting that ensued during these matches.   

Linkability 

Linkability Rating: 4.5/5

The ICONs really do make this section easy and the introduction of improved Portuguese options such as Bruno and Bernardo Silva make Eusébio a nice link to various hybrids.

End Game Strength

End Game Strength Rating: 5/5

While my frustrations remain about some of the performances I had with this card over the weekend, in smooth gameplay this card is unrelenting. 99 ACCELERATION & 99 SPRINT SPEED are lightning and mixed with the 95 AGILITY & 93 BALANCE Eusébio just floats past would be challenges.  Given how many cards are now crazy fast and unbelievably agile it is incredible that this card was this dominant right out of the box.  Regardless of some poor gameplay and painful matches, this card still has it and is obviously going to last the entirety of FIFA 20. 

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad 

Value/Coins Rating: 4/5
Good vs Bad Rating: 5/5

Like I say, this card was a lethal weapon in the early days and why I was nowhere near able to afford him at the time.  But now the card competition is coming thick and fast… and boosted, with 5 STAR WEAK FOOT starting to feel like a normal occurrence.  Mix that with the 3 million coin price tag and you would really need a special card to make it worth it.  Yet, I will confirm that the 5 STAR WEAK FOOT on this card is 100% accurate and you can lose track of which is Eusébio’s “strong” foot when both just arrow into the net from everywhere.  Additionally, I can say without hesitation that the finesse shots with Eusébio are by far the most powerful and accurate I have used… and therefore the most lethal. 

If we omit every match in poor gameplay and just focus on when Eusébio is flying it is a short conversation when discussing weaknesses.  The card can thread a needle with passes, put defenders in the spin cycle, blister the net with power, and is a ruthless finisher.  However, the one small statistics I wish Eusébio was stronger in is exactly that… his 75 STRENGTH.  At 5’9 this card is certainly no powerhouse and when the bigger defenders get tight it is game over if you are not prepared to bamboozle them with the impressive collection of tricks in Eusébio’s locker.  I know I said I was omitting the poor matches… but I will say that this issue is only amplified in worse gameplay as opponents can get closer more often while Eusébio’s agility is drastically affected. 

Closing Words

It goes without saying that a review discussing a player’s performance in poor gameplay should not be a thing… but sadly it is an all-too present reality.  Playing alongside Dembele (who is much less affected) was a real eye-opener as to what Eusébio needs to thrive.  I include it in my review because if you are saving hard earned coins for one final shot at a top tier player, I might be steering clear of Eusébio myself, especially if you are often hit with spells of poor gameplay.  But… when you do hit those free-flowing games, there is really nothing like Baby in full flight.  In closing, if the drought in top tier review options continues next week we will look once again at more top tier options until FIFA 21 begins… with FUT Birthday Mbappé and Prime Best high on my “to try list.”  However, feel free to comment on who you would like to see reviewed next week as I am open to suggestions.  In the meantime stay safe, and take it easy on how bad I am that I couldn’t get the best out of Baby.  Cheers for reading.
 

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