ICON Cruyff (91) Review

TOTS is always my favorite time in the FUT cycle… not to be confused with FUT Birthday (my favorite promo).  The reason I love TOTS is two things… one: getting Elite finally pays off at this time of the year, generally speaking, you are looking at an influx of 300k minimum to the squad along with the potential for some amazing red picks/fodder… two: the price of other “big” or expensive cards begins to plummet and allows a look at some of the best in the business in hopes that they were worth the wait.  Enter into the conversation Mid Johan Cruyff.  I have been abused by this card throughout the year and finally, it has come a time when I might be on the other end of the shoe.  The question is/was… was I too late?  Has this card already run its course as an OP option?  After waiting and bidding, waiting and bidding, and then some more waiting, I finally got a decent priced opportunity and immediately placed Cruyff as the striker in my 4-2-2-2 formation… utilizing the HUNTER chemistry style in hopes of getting the most out of the Dutch legend.  Cruyff was the x factor all weekend long in the following squad:    

Starting Formation:

Overall

Rating: 9.5/10
Pace Rating: 9/10
Dribbling Rating: 10/10
Shooting Rating: 10/10
Passing Rating: 10/10
Physical Rating: 9/10
Defending Rating: N/A

I was expecting a classy card… what I got was a Rolls-Royce.  This card is just about the perfect specimen for this version of FIFA.  Somewhere along the way, he may have lost a step or two on the likes of Tapsoba or Mbabu in defence… but overall I couldn’t have been more impressed with this card during the review.  20 goals and 10 assists in 18 matches were not staggering numbers by any means… but the overall gameplay, link up play, possession and final product that can be achieved with this card were out of this world.  Not many cards I have used can compare, but there were still a few issues that need to be discussed. 

Main Statistic - Shooting

Shooting Rating: 10/10
Weak Foot: *****
Traits: Outside Foot Shot

There have not been many cards that I would call amazingly clinical in FIFA 21.  There are some that can punish you outside of the box...  Others that have the amazing power to beat a keeper close post time and time again...  While some finesse the ball like David Beckham in his prime, whipping daggers into the hearts of opponents...  Then, there are even fewer who can score with both feet… And finally, this card, who can do absolutely all of those things!  The 92 COMPOSURE on this card feels like it is about 110 and honestly, outside of TOTS Suarez, I am not sure there is any other card in the game that I would want to take the final shot to determine a match.  The 95 POSITIONING feels amazing as Cruyff constantly took up the exact positions you would expect him to… 99 FINISHING was lights out… and even the 87 SHOT POWER had that crisp feel to the efforts he put towards goal.  I truly think this card would be a club legend if I had the coins to keep him, but alas, all good things must come to an end.   

Main Statistic - 5 STAR SKILLS

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

It is a well known fact that I am not a big skiller, so these types of stats I note for those of you that have the gift.  However, due to the fact that I don’t skill, it is even more important that players are agile and strong on the ball in order for me to create goals with left stick dribbling being my primary means of attack.  Thankfully, Johan Cruyff has some of the silkiest chops and turns that I have used and just continued the love affair with this card over the weekend.  What a smooth operator.  Again, some potentially hidden statistics with this one… 94 AGILITY & 80 BALANCE should not feel anywhere near this good.  

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad 

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

3 million coins.  A staggering number and generally unattainable throughout the year, but again, why I love TOTS. The issue with a card of this value is trying to determine if Player A for 3 million is worth THAT much more than Player B for a million coins in the same position.  In this case I look at the likes of TOTS Luis Suarez who has been an absolute weapon for me in the past few weeks and a massive part of my consistent return to Elite.  When you can get the Uruguayan for 600k I find it impossible to say that Cruyff is over 2 million coins superior… in fact, I am not sure he is necessarily superior at all in the first place… especially in terms of goal scoring.  However, again, it is worth noting just how insane Cruyff was at everything he did this weekend… and therefore I would certainly not call him a waste of coins, just not 3 million worth in the end.

One small complaint about this card.  There was certainly a time that Cruyff would have been a nightmare to handle with his pace and agility combined.  However, at this stage in the game, everyone and their dog has 99 Overall Pace and truthfully it just felt that Cruyff was lacking in this area.  Off the mark he wasn’t as quick as would be tacklers… and certainly, in the sprint, he was not leaving anyone in his wake moving forward.  Obviously, speed isn’t everything, but it is such a key contributor to quality in FIFA 21… and while I wish it was different, it isn’t.  I would also note that the 68 STRENGTH then becomes an issue as more and more defenders are able to get tight to you in attack.  Yes, the insane dribbling allows for some serious evasive maneuvers… however, once they latched on, it was often game over.

Closing Words

So what? That is kind of the dilemma here.  Is this card an insane addition to just about any squad.. certainly.  Is he worth 3 million?  I don’t exactly think so compared to what is out there.  However, I will say this.  This weekend I had my BEST ever finish in Weekend League and it came down to pens to make it even better.  If you check out my YouTube video dropping today (MaeNine) then you will know just how close it was.  I don’t think it is any coincidence that my best ever finish coincides with the review of this man.  So maybe that is what 3 million coins are worth.  Maybe that small bit of extra stardust is actually worth millions at this point in the game and was what I ultimately needed to put me over the edge in the end. Finally, I will say without question that this review was a ton of fun and Cruyff is special… if you have a chance or looking for an end game player to set your sights towards, you could do a lot worse than this legend of the game.  Hoping you are safe and well.  Cheers for reading.

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