FIFA 23 PRIME ICON CARLOS ALBERTO PLAYER REVIEW - COP OR FLOP?

Following a cracking Keane, a brilliant Brahim, an outrageous Ozil and a pricey Pires, we have our fifth player SBC of the Trophy Titans promo. Not a Trophy Titan Icon but a bog standard Prime version. And yet 93 Carlos Alberto might become the most common card you meet in FIFA 23.

For a “non promo” week, it feels as though Trophy Titans has been incredibly well received by the playing public. Affordable icons, packable icons, “unusable” icons given boosts to usable levels and the germination of a menu grind, combined with the first ever Prime and Special Icons given for Objectives have made this a real triumph. With TOTS voting now open too, it really feels like we’re ramping up for a wild few weeks!

However, with EA self proclaiming that Blue season has started, is this Carlos Alberto worth the hype, and is he worth your coins? 

Check out the card! - Carlos Alberto 93

Here are the following SBC Requirements you’ll need to complete:

#1 - Born Legend
Rare Players - Exactly 11
Player Level - Bronze
Pack - Two Rare Gold Players

#2 - Rising Star
Rare Players - Exactly 11
Player Level - Silver
Pack - Two Rare Gold Players

#3 - O Capitão do Tri
Brazil Players - Min 1
IF or FUT Champs Player - Min 1
Squad Rating - 84
Pack - Prime Electrum Players

#4 - 87 Rated Squad
Squad Rating - 87
Pack - Small Rare Gold Players

#5 - Top Notch
IF or FUT Champs Player - Min 1
Squad Rating - 87
Pack - Small Rare Gold Players

#6 - 88 Rated Squad
Squad Rating - 88
Pack - Premium Gold Players

Total Cost from scratch ~ 650k
Estimated Pack Return ~ 33k

Before this SBC was leaked on twitter, the tradeable version of this card would have set you back around 1 million coins. To say this price, 650k, is absolutely awesome would be a huge understatement. EA have traditionally gone for SBC’s costing around or slightly under a card’s market value. Here though, we’re getting a third off the price.

My other point on the SBC’s themselves is the weird disparity between the reward packs for the 87 rated squads and the 88 rated squad. Whilst I know you get 12 cards from the premium gold players pack, it’s only 3 rare golds compared to the 6 rare golds from the 87 rated squads. This feels like an oversight. 

Carlos Alberto SBC In Game Analysis

This is one of the best centre backs in the game currently, if not the best. He has been since release and he has been one of the most slept on players in this entire game cycle.  

I have had the pleasure of using this card for a while now since a rather lucky Icon roulette coughed up a Brazilian. Whilst my delusions of grandeur thought I might get an R9 for the first time ever, I was absolutely delighted when it turned out to be Alberto. I had heard from several people that he was an absolute animal this year. They weren’t wrong. 

The first thing to clarify is that this card is absolutely best utilised at CB. Whilst he is a competent wing back with decent stats, it’s his ability to play in the middle that sets him apart. 
And I’m not going to beat around the bush here. He is RAPID!

In fact he is the fastest CB in the game over 85 rated. With a shadow he has 99 acceleration and 98 sprint speed. It’s honestly one of the most satisfying events in FIFA 23, when you come up against an Mbappe - Al Owairan axis of evil up front and watch as your opponent slowly gets more and more frustrated that Carlos Alberto is burning them and catching every booming over the top through ball. 

Positionally he’s superb, his tackling is some of the cleanest I’ve used in the game and whilst he isn’t aggressive, this actually means he tends to back off defenders and allows you to use his pace to track runs. 

Not only is he quick, but with an anchor he has 97 strength. One potential con, his height, is negated by 92 jumping that allows him to compete with some of the best aerial strikers in the game. His defensive awareness and interceptions mean that he’s always in the right position and can be one of the best auto defenders, outside of TOTY VVD, in the game. 

Not only is he superb defensively, but his base position of right back means that he has fantastic dribbling and feels super nimble both on and off the ball. His passing is also superb for a CB. With 4 star weak foot he is the ultimate defender for players who like to build up from the back. I never really notice his high/med work rates and even if he strays too far up the pitch, he’s back in position before the opposition can really take advantage. 

Less a Rolls Royce of a defender, more like a Ferrari. 
 

How Does He Compare?

I want to extrapolate on a previous point. He is very quick. He has 90+ in both sprint speed and acceleration. The next closest player over 85 rated? TOTY Militao with both stats 87+. It truly sets Carlos Alberto apart from almost every other CB on the game. 

In terms of comparison, the closest player I can really compare him to is Prime Maldini. Maldini is lengthy but only has 2 star SM. Capita has 6 extra acceleration and 4 extra sprint speed (which somehow equates to 4 more base pace?).

Alberto wipes the floor with Maldini when it comes to passing. 18 more vision, 4 more short passing and 30 more curve make him a much more reliable distributor. Dribbling, you have to say, is better for Alberto too. 19 more agility, 3 better balance, 15 more ball control and 24 more dribbling far outweighs 9 composure and 5 reactions. 

Defensively is where Maldini excels though. 6 more interceptions, marking, stand tackle and slide tackle. It’s a mauling. However, surprisingly, Carlos Alberto has the better physicals. With more stamina and strength whilst matching in the other 2 categories.

The biggest thing with Alberto however is that you have far more freedom with the chem style. You can go shadow if you want all out pace. But he is still cracked out with an anchor. With Maldini however, you are forced into either a shadow or a catalyst to give you the pace. It’s here where I think Carlos Alberto excels over a card worth 2.5 times the cost of this SBC.

Carlos Alberto - Cop or Flop?

This SBC has 91% upvotes. Honestly, this should be higher. An insane, almost endgame level CB with 4 very achievable squad ratings and for ⅔’s the original market value of the card. 

Joe Cullen knows…

I cannot recommend this player enough. Whether you get him done immediately, or you wait for the first few weeks of TOTS to complete this on the cheap, give him a chance at CB and you will not regret it. 

This is 100% a Copita. 

COP

SBC Rating: 9.5/10