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When details about Cristiano Ronaldo in FIFA 23 were released in early September, they caused a lot of controversy. The Portuguese has a massive fanbase all over the planet who didn't take too kindly to the nerf in terms of stats and overall. The reduction will seem relatively minuscule as it decreased from 91 to 90.
Despite the reduction, the Manchester United superstar remains one of the top cards in this year's game. The most noticeable change in stats was his Pace taking a major hit. It's widely accepted that he's no longer the footballer he used to be, with age finally beginning to show its effects.
Nevertheless, his 90 overall means Cristiano Ronaldo still packs a punch when offering a good blend of offensive play. While there are specific weaknesses, the card can be an asset if players can concentrate on its strengths. Let's look at the brighter spots and how the community can leverage them.
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best finishers a player can obtain in FIFA 23
Cristiano Ronaldo's obvious nerf has been in the Pace department, with an 81 rating being one of the lowest he has ever had. Much of it's down to his age, as his abilities have declined in real life. However, his greatest strength lies in terms of shooting and finishing.
The Portuguese's 93 Finishing is one of the highest among all the base cards in the game. Only two others have slightly better Finishing than him, which goes on to show how powerful he can be in front of the goal. With 95 Positioning and 93 Shot Power, FIFA 23 players can use him to shoot from a distance or as a fox-in-the-box-type striker.
In terms of dribbling, Ronaldo's card is a bit of a mixed bag in FIFA 23, with the 87 Balance causing some problems. It could lead to defenders disbalancing him when he's on the ball. While the 85 Dribbling is not the highest, it gels well with his 5* Weak Foot. This allows players to perform all the skill moves in the game with their cards.
With 95 Jumping and 90 Heading Accuracy, the Portuguese will be an aerial threat on crosses. While crosses themselves might not be the exact meta, it's another exciting avenue for players to consider.
Players can navigate the lowered Pace by turning Ronaldo into a lengthy card. Using the Architect chemistry style, he changes his body type from controlled to lengthy. This boosts his passing and physical stats, but the main USP is the body type.
Lengthy cards have been dominant in in FIFA 23's meta on current-gen consoles, and there's a noticeable difference in how mobile they are. It has also made some cards suddenly become very viable that felt very slow in earlier releases. In the case of the Manchester United star, it has essentially allowed players to negate his slower pace to a large extent.
His base card sells for 300,000 FUT coins at the time of writing and can be a valuable addition to the FIFA 23 Ultimate Team. For those with bigger budgets, the Rulebreakers card is also available, which comes with a more significant boost to stats and abilities.
