At the start of Ultimate Team in EA FC 25, many players are looking for strong cards for few coins. MeinMMO author Thomas Dummer tried out perhaps the best footballer of all time and is still convinced of the aging superstar. And at such an early stage it attracts with an unprecedented, low price.
What kind of player is this? Lionel Messi is undeniably one of the greatest players ever. At national and international level he has won everything there is to win with his clubs and the national team. There are also 8 World Footballer of the Year awards.
At 37 years old, the Argentine is now taking things a little easier in the American League (MLS). This also affects his card in EA FC 25, because Messi has never had a worse rating in Ultimate Team with a rating of 88:
Messi’s gold cards in comparison: FC 24 on the left, FC 25 on the right
Why doesn’t Messi even cost 20,000 coins? Compared to FC 24, Messi received another downgrade of -2 in the rating. The former supper dribbler’s speed has even fallen below 80. He also has to accept losses of 2 or 3 points each in the shooting, passing and dribbling stats.
In addition, due to his league, Messi is a little harder to link up in order to be able to play for full team chemistry.
Nevertheless, it can be said that his stats still look more than passable. If you know how to use his strengths, his card’s weaknesses will almost no longer be a problem. We’ll show you how you can really take advantage of Messi’s advantages.
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Messi is still outstanding, especially against chains of five
Why is Messi still outstanding in FC 25? Messi’s unique selling point has always been his unique dribbling. His low center of gravity coupled with his dribbling stats mean that he can hardly be separated from the ball on the real and virtual football pitch.
With the PlayStyle “Technique” in gold, he can perform the controlled sprint (R1 on the PlayStation/ RB on the Xbox) at a higher speed and with more agility. The controlled sprint is perfect for dribbling around a defender at increased speed or gaining some space from an attacking opponent.
The “Quick Step” PlayStyle is another strong playstyle that gives you a speed boost in the first few meters of a sprint (R2 on PlayStation / RT on Xbox).
Especially at this point in FC 25, when normal dribbling with the left stick still feels immobile, the controlled sprint and quick step are almost the only ways to give you an advantage in 1-on-1 duels. Assuming you don’t just want to use the secret sprint boost all the time.
But you can’t just limit Messi to his dribbling. The Argentine also has strong shooting and passing playstyles that are perfect for getting past deep 5-man chains.
All of Messi’s playstyles at a glance
Strong shooting and passing playstyles against deep chains of five
What strong shooting playstyles does Messi have? With the PlayStyle “Cut Shot” he has one of the best PlayStyles in FC 25, which gives your spin shots (R1+Circle on the PlayStation/ RB+B on the Xbox) more speed, precision and cut.
Another strong PlayStyle is the “Trivela”, which lets you execute outside-foot shots (L2+Circle on the PlayStation/ LT+B on the Xbox) with more precision.
This is how you use Messi’s shot PlayStyles against a chain of five: If your opponent blocks himself in front of his penalty area, you can use the shooting playstyles for dangerous long-range shots.
When taking shots in front of the penalty area, make sure that you aim for the far corner with Messi’s strong left foot. This means that with a cut shot you always aim at the left corner of the goal and with an outside shot you always aim at the right corner of the goal (as seen from you).
What strong passing playstyles does Messi have? The Decisive Pass gives your through passes (Triangle on PlayStation/Y on Xbox) more precision.
Tiki-Taka as a play style means that your players execute (direct) flat passes more accurately.
Here’s how to use Messi’s passing playstyles against a chain of five: With Tiki-Taka you can use a lot of short passes with your teammates to keep the five-man chain moving, as it will always be oriented toward the pass receiver. With a little patience, this creates holes in the opposing defense line.
You can use the gaps that open up to play precise through passes. Dropped through balls (L1+triangle on the Playstation/LB+Y on the Xbox) can also be an effective way to outplay the five-man chain.
Since passing has generally become more difficult, it is always an advantage to be able to use PlayStyles. You can get the best passes for a relatively affordable price in FC 25.
Where should you best play Messi? In order to make optimal use of Messi’s dribbling, shots and passes and to compensate for his speed deficit at the same time, you should use him in the attacking center. The position of striker (ST) or central offensive midfield (ZOM) is ideal here. So he doesn’t have to go into the classic sprint duels as a winger.
When attacking, it is best to provide him with a second strike partner who has a little more physical presence for header duels after crosses. You can currently complete another very good player for 20,000 coins as a Squad Building Challenge: The best midfielders in EA FC 25 are too expensive, but a strong card only costs 20,000 coins – Aleix Garcia is that good as an SBC
