Flashback SBC Christiano Ronaldo Review

The year is 2003.  Standing beside one of the greatest managers the game has ever seen is a bright-eyed, baby faced lad who has just arrived from Sporting Lisbon.  With all of the talent and flair in the world the game was literally sitting at his fingertips, he just needed to reach out and grab it.  Spoiler alert: he definitely did… and the rest, as they say, is history.  It is interesting that a lot of the hype that surrounded the young Portuguese winger then has transferred over to his digital replica 18 years later.  Again, this card was on my “skip list” as I continue to try and avoid more and more SBCs, which is turning out to be an effort in futility.  Once more the article comments for Wazza and Reyna led me to believe that there was enough interest to warrant a full review… and here we are.  If you look at what is already out there in relation to Flashback Ronaldo it becomes clear that this is an absolutely polarizing card… and certainly, since the patch this card has not been viewed with the same rose colored glasses that skewed early reviews.  While my review and picture will discuss the original 10 matches I played, I have dropped into at least another 5 as I tried to crack the code and unlock Ronaldo’s full potential.  To date, I have tried the FINISHER, HUNTER & ENGINE chemistry styles, while deploying CR7 as the striker in my 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2 & 4-2-2-2 formations.  In the end, Ronaldo was the Enigma Code this week in the following squad: 


Starting Formation:

Overall

Rating: 8/10
Pace Rating: 8.5/10
Dribbling Rating: 8.5/10
Shooting Rating: 9/10
Passing Rating: 7.5/10
Physical Rating: 8.5/10
Defending Rating: N/A

Try and try as I might, I just could not get on with this card.  So much so that I went and bought NIF CR7 to see if it was me or the card that was struggling.  The result was a confirmation that NIF CR7 still performs at a fantastic rate that doesn’t even make sense, while Flashback CR7 is simply a shadow of the NIFs talent.  But that doesn’t mean all is lost. However, I won’t buy into the narrative that this card is in any way shape or form only a minor downgrade from the original.  Hopefully, by the end of the review, I will have presented enough evidence to warrant my comments and overall rating. 

Main Attribute – Shooting

Passing Rating: 9/10
Weak Foot: * * *
Trait: Outside Foot Shot

This is the one area that I will get on board with the “this is basically NIF Ronaldo” comments.  Despite the 3 STAR WEAK FOOT and despite a rotating carousel of chemistry style applications, it always seems like this card can find the back of the goal when given a chance.  It is hard to explain because there is not a real standout feature in the way that CR7 consistently finds the back of goal… all I can really say is... it’s Ronaldo!  The weak foot feels bolstered, the power feels boosted, and the finishing feels brilliant.  Certainly, the one area that I did not have a ton of complaints or issues with across my 10+ games so far.

Main Attribute – 5 Star Skills

Dribbling Rating: 8.5/10
Skills: * * * * *
Traits: Flair

There is no doubt in my mind that in the right hands this card could pull off some insane goals.  But, for someone that relies heavily on left stick responsiveness and slick movements on the ball… I did not get a ton of joy during my review.  It is interesting because for all intents and purposes the card looks like a spitting image of CR7 when sprinting … similar animations when shooting … but when it came to dribbling there was just something different about the movement and feel of the card compared to the NIF version.

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad 

Value/Coins Rating: 4/5 
Good vs Bad Rating: 3.5/5

Flashback CR7 is literally pennies on the dollar value compared to NIF CR7.  For many, this may be one of the only ways of acquiring the Portuguese star this year.  To me, that is literally the best feature about this SBC and for many, it could be their first time owning the big man in FIFA.  That in and of itself is a win in my eyes.  However, there are still some issues that cannot be overlooked when pulling the trigger on the SBC completion.  While pace appears to be the base statistics that will play the most prominent role in CR7’s success, I found it to be a misleading statistic and regardless of chemistry style this card just lacked the get up and go that can cause defenders issues.  In the end, it is just hard to say that this card is top value when you can get IF Min Son for exactly the same price.

I am not sure exactly what went on with the latest patch, but the passing is well and truly wrecked.  Players that were once terrific on the ball are wayward more and more, while players with lower abilities are all over the map.  During my review, it was clear that CR7 was in category number two as he struggled to link up with the players around him consistently. Another big issue with the link up play came with CR7’s struggles to hold up the ball as time and time again he was outmuscled by my opponent's backline.  This is one thing that I had previously witnessed coming up against this version of CR7 and was certainly my experience using him myself during the review.  

Closing Words

We all have them.  That shortlist of players that when you see them in an opponent’s squad you know that you are in for a battle.  The center half with strength, speed and agility who auto-blocks everything and won’t let you have even a shot on goal; then there is the midfielder who seems to be everywhere, intercepts everything, tackles like Vieira in his prime, and simply runs the middle of the park; finally, the striker who mangles your backline time and time again, walking away with enough match balls to fill Wembley Stadium.  However, we all have another list… that list of popular players that you love to play and never produce against you… and one player on my personal list Flashback CR7 himself since his release and after this review, my fear has not increased at all, and in fact, I feel even more confident going into future clashes with the digital wonderkid.  The more I type, the more I feel confident that this rating is justified and accurate.  Don’t get me wrong, the card is good and the goals still come.  But when you are dealing with one of the GOATs in not only football but the sporting world, you expect a certain level of quality that this card simply could not deliver.  Hoping you are safe and well. Cheers for reading.  

Game Stats:
 

Game Highlights: