FC 25 93 FUT Birthday Ibarbo Player Review - Cop or Flop

I would be lying if I didn’t say that up until this Friday, FUT Birthday has felt like a bit of a let down.  I realize at this point we have been spoilt for content in the past and expect a lot from each and every promo… But come on EA, it is FUT Birthday, “pull out all the stops”… Enter the past few days of content (Cups, Evos, Pack Grind) and then Team 2, and it is hard to argue that EA haven’t done just that.

In a world of leaks (which is also a huge part of the problem with promo excitement) it is a bit sad that the trifecta of OP players from the past were not a complete surprise and would have exploded the game.  Regardless, I have been patiently waiting for the opportunity to be reunited with Victor Ibarbo who scored so many important goals for me in the past. 

For me the choice between the three was easy, but it came with a small issue of having really committed to the 4-1-2-1-2(2) formation, both last weekend and in all of my Rivals matches.  In order the fit Ibarbo there would have to be changes and while the squad picture shows a 4-2-1-3, I also used the 4-5-1 and even 4-4-2 as I tried to find a way to power through what was an extremely poor server night during this review. For me the MARKSMAN stood out as the best choice for what I wanted in statistics and Ibarbo was set to bring the nostalgia all weekend long in the following squad:

Rating: 9/10

When the very first through ball I played saw Ibarbo handily outstrip FUT Birthday Ruben Dias for pace before chipping a helpless Buffon, it was almost impossible not to get immediately excited about the results from this review.  Of course the servers brought that optimistic vibe crashing down (both literally and figuratively) but there were still moments of brilliance and a general feeling about what this card can do.  The 10 goals and 3 assists in 5 matches were a result of some excellent finishing & passing, combined with a lot of early quits along the way. 

Main Statistics – Athleticism

PlayStyles: Quick Step Plus, Rapid, Bruiser, Aerial, Relentless, Technical, First Touch

Probably my favorite part of this review and the idea of Ibarbo returning to Ultimate Team came from the fact that he felt just as physically dominant as previous versions of the card.  It all starts with the 94 ACCELERATION & 98 SPRINT SPEED along with the CONTROLLED LENGTHY AcceleRATE.  When applying the MARKSMAN Chemistry Style I did question whether the Pace would hold up, but those concerns were answered in the first 3 minutes of the first match.  The QUICK STEP Plus out of the L1 Dribbling with this card is insane and you can feel the RAPID and AcceleRATE take over from there to maintain the gap created from defenders.

When sheer Pace cannot get the job done you can also hold up the ball with relative ease against most defenders.  I can not overstate the satisfaction I got as Ibarbo knocked a ball down out of the air and held off my opponent’s Mendy before turning and creating a chance with ease.  The 98 STRENGTH from the MARKSMAN just seemed to hit the mark perfectly again and that is still not talking about the Bruiser addition… Certainly a difficult card to contain.

I contemplated leaving Dribbling out until the Good/Bad categories but the fact that Ibarbo has the strength and size that he does, yet can move so freely, doesn’t seem fair.  The FIRST TOUCH is a personal favorite and again allowed the strength to shine in numerous situations, the 5 STAR SKILLS are a nice touch as is the TECHNICAL dribbling as well.

Value/Coins

Value/Coins: 4/5

Right this second I would suggest that Ibarbo is slightly overpriced.  As of this second he is listed at 3.3 million and I think 2.5 million would seem more reasonable.  You have to factor in the nostalgia tax that is certainly going to be attached to all three of the new introductions, but even then I feel like Ibarbo is at a high price.  It would not shock me however, to see Ibarbo falling into that sweet spot as the weekend progresses and into early next week, something to watch for.

Good vs. Bad 

Good vs Bad Rating: 5/5

All of the goal scoring tools you need.

+ One of the cards that still stands out as the most clinical in the game (for me) is Wildcard Forlan.  Don’t ask me why, but that card feels like it will never miss and scores some goals that have no business going in.  The reason for this digression is to point out the fact that Forlan also has the TRIVELLA Plus and like the Uruguayan, Ibarbo was lethal throughout the review.  Again, 10 goals hardly paints the picture of what I saw and unfortunately (for the sake of the review totals)  some of those clinical moments led to early quits.  The 99 FINISHING & 99 SHOT POWER combo is as perfect as it looks and the FINESSE SHOT PlayStyle just adds to the weapons.

Bit harsh calling an 8/10 a minus, but it was a small issue.

- Passing with Ibarbo is fine.  His 91 SHORT PASSING more than does the trick in most situations.  But more than anything what this card could benefit from is the PlayStyles that enhance those Passing statistics.  If Ibarbo had a Passing PlayStyle or two in his back pocket this really would be a near perfect attacking option.

Closing Words

This is the price of reliving the past I guess… Three extremely popular items from the past at three rather large price tags.  It pains me to say that at this exact moment I would suggest that Ibarbo is overpriced.  I am not sure why 2.5 million feels like the right number, but perhaps that is what I would think was fair if I brought the Columbian back into the mix.  Perhaps nostalgia will prevail, but I would be surprised if Ibarbo doesn’t start to see some drop in price throughout the weekend.  In the end it was a fantastic card and even persevered through some poor gameplay, which perhaps was the biggest test of all.

Hoping you are well.  Cheers for reading.