RTTF Bale Review

More and more it seems like EA is simply recycling the usual suspects in promos, which of course doesn’t do much for changing it up and offering something new.  But what it does do is provide moments of nostalgia that can’t be denied and certainly summarizes my feelings when I laid eyes on RTTF Gareth Bale.  While FIFA 21 proved to be a leap year for Bale the FIFA 19 & 20 versions were some terrifying options and I was hoping the FIFA 22 version might reclaim some of that past form.  If you read the Renato Sanches review then you will know that there were some early squad building challenges that ultimately led to a return of the 4-2-2-2 formation this weekend and did cause some issues with this card in particular.  In truth, I had seen some suggestions that this card might be a Rulebreakers Haaland remake who was a breath of fresh air in the attacking CM position earlier on in the year.  So I gave it two matches to see if it was true… two very long and painful matches as Bale proved to be less than effective in that role.  Next, I moved the Real man to the ST position and was pleasantly surprised by the movement of this card and the positions he picked up… but less than happy with the overall pace and dynamic movements produced.  Finally, I moved Bale out to the LAM position and was extremely happy with the overall contributions as he finished the review in the wide areas of the pitch.  The ENGINE chemistry style was the lone constant as I looked for pace and agility boosts throughout the review.  In the end, Bale ran the fairways down the flank all weekend long in the following squad: 

Starting Formation:

Overall

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

Lots of nostalgia in the way this card looked when he dropped this past Friday, but not the same nostalgia in the way he operated on the pitch.  The card is not awful and again I really enjoyed the positioning and movement regardless of where I played him… but there are just too many holes in the overall statistics and performances to truly challenge for a place in my squad.  Yet, the 13 goals and 7 assists in 15 matches as a CAM was a fantastic return and speaks to the clinical nature of that left foot when the chances fell to the Welshman.  Certainly, some things to like about this card and perhaps an upgrade or two could take him into more conversations for a must have card.        

Main Statistic - Shooting

Shooting Rating: 9/10
Weak Foot: ★★★★
Attributes: Outside Foot Shot

With this card the need for an ENGINE chemistry style to deal with the pace and agility meant that the shooting category was left to the base statistics… and in the end, the results were still quite strong.  The 88 FINISHING felt accurate on the right foot thanks to the FOUR STAR WEAK FOOT… while on the left the 96 SHOT POWER was more than enough to overpower keepers on those far post finishes.  I was quite impressed with all of the shooting on display from Bale this weekend with the 91 FREE KICK ACCURACY taking the prize for most enjoyable addition (see video for details).           

Main Attribute - Positioning

Pace Rating: 8.5/10
Dribbling Rating: 8/10
Physical Rating: 9/10
Skills: ★★★★
Height: 185cm | 6’1

As you can probably tell by the rating this card didn’t quite live up to the pace statistics even with the ENGINE application. Truthfully the 99 SPRINT SPEED wasn’t that far off at all… but the 96 ACCELERATION felt nowhere close to that level. Unfortunately, the 91 AGILITY & 80 BALANCE didn’t do much to combat the 185cm | 6’1 frame and overall Bale struggled in congested areas of the pitch to hold onto the ball.  Thankfully the 91 STRENGTH was able to combat some of those shoulder to shoulder tackles that Bale was constantly involved in… but in the end, I learned to pass the ball in quick fashion when Bale was not alone on the flank.  The key to this section though comes from the fact that Bale actually was open plenty on the wing thanks to a knack for finding the right areas of the pitch throughout the review.  Some cards are just instinctively better at doing the right things and I would certainly throw Bale in this category. 

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad

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

280k is probably still a little bit high for what you are going to get from this card across a Weekend League.  However, the interesting part of course comes from the potential of a double upgrade should Real Madrid reel PSG back in, come the second leg.  Real will certainly need a much better performance in order to achieve progression, which certainly could be aided by the change of scenery to the Bernabéu.

Much like Bale’s shooting when on his left foot, the passing came alive and was quite accurate out on the flank.  The 99 CROSSING was increasingly important while the 89 SHORT PASSING & 88 LONG PASSING did the trick when called upon. When shifting the ball to the right foot it certainly became more hit and miss but wasn’t a frequent problem given the LAM positioning.

Closing Words

For now, this card hits the steer clear list and even nostalgia couldn’t overcome some of the frustrations with the speed and agility Bale can produce.  The potential for the double upgrade does present an intriguing “buy and hope” opportunity but I am still not convinced those upgrades could fix the issues with the card on the whole.  While a FINISHER chemistry style would be more likely after the +2 additions I then think the passing could cause new issues and again brings me back to my overall opinion that the card simply has too many holes in quality to begin with.  While it was fun to roll back the years and watch Bale pelt some left footed missiles into the top bins… in the end, FIFA has moved on and ultimately left this card a few strokes over par. Hoping you are well.  Cheers for reading.  
 

Game Stats:
 

Game Highlights: