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Real Madrid had a phenomenal 2021/22 season after winning both the Champions League and La Liga and at the center (or fittingly, the left wing) of it all was none other than Vinicius Junior. With a well-deserved boost to his ratings, the young Brazilian has become one of the best left-wingers in FIFA 23.
Carlo Ancelotti's attackers of choice, Vinicius and Benzema's dual partnership wreaked havoc upon enemy line-ups with the sheer number of goals they racked up between them. As a leading attacker in such a successful season for Los Blancos, he was the talk of the town when it came to fans discussing a possible boost, and EA have certainly delivered.
The 86-rated left winger has had some massive boosts to his stats. As the 'pace nerf pandemic' scourges Messi, Ronaldo, and others, Vini appears to be one of the few people to have been exempt from it. What's more, the FIFA gods seem to have taken a liking to the 22-year-old attacker, as his boost to shooting and dribbling has made him one of the fastest attackers with viable stats and a top card, making him extremely useful in the in-game meta.
Vinicius Junior is going to be a strong, meta-friendly card in FIFA 23
As a FIFA 23 Ambassador, Vinicius's card comes with some very welcome changes. Although he joined Real Madrid in 2018, he could not leave his mark on the pitch until recently. Carlo Acelotti's return to the Spanish capital was a huge boon for the player as he finally came into his own.
Last season, the Brazilian scored an impressive 22 goals with 20 assists over 52 matches. On top of that, fans will remember how he hammered home the winning goal in the Champions League, giving Madrid their 14th UEFA Cup title. In recognition of his exceptional performance, EA have graced him with a whopping six-point upgrade to his overall.
With his fellow forward and currently the top rated player in FIFA 23, Benzema by his side, the two were by far the most dangerous attacking duo in La Liga this season, with a total of 44 goals and 25 assists between them. While the youngster brought the pace to the wings, the Frenchman converted most of the opportunities into goals.
Being the third highest goal scorer in the league, Vinicius gets a whopping nine-point upgrade to his shooting stats. Elevating it from FIFA 22's 70, to 79 in FIFA 23. This boost to his rating alone is possibly what elevates him to be a superb attacker. Incidentally, his 86 overall rating also gives him the tenth spot on EA's top La Liga Santander players' list.
His passing and dribbling have been boosted by three points each, making them 74 and 90. Respectively, his defense and physical stats remain at 29 and 67. In the FIFA 23 Rating Challenge video posted on the official Real Madrid YouTube channel, Vinicius seemed to have quite a lot to say about his poor defensive stats, but in-game attackers usually do have low defense to balance roles properly.
Retaining his 95 pace is a big bonus for Vini, especially with his 4-star weak foot rating. If FIFA 23 meta is anything like the previous games, leaner and faster dribblers with high pace and dribbling skills are going to dominate the meta yet again.
The substantial upgrade to his shooting and dribbling makes Vinicius an ideal fit for many FUT teams. Even though he is rated 86, he certainly has the potential to compete with higher rated players. Here is a table comparing him with Messi, Mbappe, and Neymar.
It is important to note that there have been some major changes to FIFA 23 gameplay with the addition of new physics, dribbling mechanics, and features such as power shots. So, a concrete answer to his viableness in FUT is currently not possible, but it does seem like he will be a highly sought-after LW card in the upcoming title.
The 22-year-old Brazilian has rightfully made his place at the top of FIFA 23 players after a stellar season. Vinicius has already scored five goals out of his eight appearances for Real Madrid this season, and if this strong start is any indication, he will probably receive some substantially boosted cards over the 2022/23 season.
