FIFA 23 Samuel Eto'o 90 Player Review

There have been quite a few SBCs that have caught the eye this year… low budget options with massive upgrade potential, mid budget options that might just take your squad to the next level… and more recently some high budget, game changing, meta options to consider.

POTM Messi (who has been giving me absolute nightmares lately) was the first of these high value targets, with 90 rated Samuel Eto’o now offering a second option to grind towards.

I don’t think it is a question of if, but when, you could complete this SBC. With 30 days and a wide variety of fodder opportunities, it is possible to grind for “free”.

While it might not cost a coin if you play your cards right, it will cost your hard earned time, which is more valuable in my mind, and so we wanted to let you know what you are getting yourself into traveling down this path.

There are a plethora of chemistry options for this card, and I opted for the HAWK, which kept Eto’o CONTROLLED while offering some eye pleasing boosts.

Playing as a ST in my 4-2-2-2 formation it might have benefitted Eto’o to utilize the boost of initial pace from a type change… but the more I used this card the more it felt like he was doing just fine and didn’t need it.

Starting Squad

In-Game Squad

Overall 

Rating: 9.5/10

Pace Rating: 9.5/10

Dribbling Rating: 9/10

Shooting Rating: 10/10

Passing Rating: 8/10

Physical Rating: 9/10

Defending Rating: N/A

We started this weekend with some other reviews in mind, stay tuned for those, and so I only had 5 matches left in FUT Champs when I shifted to this review.

Even so, the 25 goals and 4 assists in 15 matches is an impressive return across the 5 WL and 10 Div 2 Rivals matches.

This card is a massive threat and constantly among the play. I loved the diagonal runs Eto’o would initiate, which caused opponents fits when trying to track runners.

Main Statistics – Shooting

Shooting Rating: 10/10

WEAK FOOT: ★★★★

Traits: Outside Foot Shot, Finesse Shot

This card has it all and I think the goal tally speaks for itself. But for starters it is worth mentioning that the 4 STAR WEAK FOOT on this card is up there with the 5 STAR cards I have used this FIFA.

The main reason I went the HAWK route was how nice the shooting statistics looked after application.

The 99 POSITIONING had Eto’o picking up the perfect areas and switched on to the aforementioned diagonal runs. Once in those dangerous locations, it was lights out.

97 FINISHING, 97 SHOT POWER & 97 LONG SHOTS might as well have been 99 with the way they materialized in game… As I sit here with my matches fresh in memory, I can not remember a quality chance that Eto’o did not efficiently and effectively dispatch into the back of the net.

It would have been one thing if Eto’o finished every high quality chance that he had… but he also finished a large percentage of the low quality efforts at goal, which only increased in volume as more flew in.

Value/Coins

Value/Coins Rating: 5/5

This is definitely a difficult sell… 1 million coins or 1 million coins of fodder. But this card is just so so good. I am not saying there are not better ways to distribute your coins across your squad. But as of this writing, Eto’o is by far the best striker I have used.

There are a lot of really good cards around this price tag … but it is worth remembering that the SBC dropped Eto'o by 200k and highlights just how much worth you are getting with this card.

While the fodder will take you quite a long time to grind… Eto’o will eventually save you a fair bit of time with opponents quitting. I have not experienced quitting on the level that l I did throughout this review.

Eto’o sucks the fight out of opponents with his quality finishing… hence the 17 matches on the statistics… and in reality I should have played at least one more to get Eto’o close to the minutes played of a 15 match review.

Good vs. Bad 

Good vs Bad Rating: 5/5

You don’t get a 9.5/10 overall for simply scoring goals, and Eto’o was the complete package going forward.

+ The 95 ACCELERATION was as advertised and negated any thoughts about moving to the EXPLOSIVE type early in the review… The 95 SPRINT SPEED was also incredibly fast and left many defenders reeling in attempts to catch Eto’o in open space on goal.

+ The lean body type on his 179cm | 5’10 frame was aided perfectly by the 87 AGILITY, 82 BALANCE & 88 DRIBBLING. There is a power and drive about this card, mixed with flair and finesse. I think my opponents struggled the most with determining which I would deploy in different circumstances and resulted in a few mistimed tackles for pens.

+ There is a lot to like about the physicality Eto’o can produce given his 82 STRENGTH… he is certainly a handful around the box and proved extremely difficult to knock off the ball when sprinting. 97 JUMPING is an impressive addition and adds one more weapon to the repertoire.

I was so busy praising this card at every turn that my negative notes were rather sparse upon completion.

- If there was one area of concern it would be the passing. In fairness the 85 SHORT PASSING held up well enough and resulted in some intricate play and 4 assists. But I can’t help but feel that with his large collection of tools, Eto’o should have contributed more in the assist department.

- Doubling down on this section, the 87 VISION should have been plenty to operate at the top of the pitch. But I often found Eto’o could not see all of the passes I could when targeting the edges of the pitch… often under hitting the ball to a closer player. Small frustration, but enough instances to indicate a trend.

Closing Words

I am giving it 7 days… if there is nothing I want to grind within this timeframe, I will embark on grinding Eto’o before the 30 days are up.

I picture having an untradeable version of this card as a fantastic option to build my squad around for qualifications and division rivals. While my team chops and changes constantly for the reviews… I do like having a solid untradeable squad for mid-week matches.

In the end, even if a quality card comes around and I am low on fodder because of Eto’o, I don’t see there ever being a time where I will regret grinding for this card. There is simply too much quality and in a game where goals are difficult to come by, he scores them in bunches.

As a final point I should point out that there were games where my opponents were simply better than me and in those games Eto’o scored zero goals. In the end it is the operator that gets the most out of these cards.

But what I loved about Eto’o was the results in matches where I was the better player. Being rewarded with goals, and lots of them, was an incredibly satisfying experience throughout this review… and ultimately why I am so set on making the the test run permanent.