"Make it make sense EA": Fans react as Federico Valverde receives special La Liga POTM SBC in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team
Federico Valverde has been crowned the inaugural La Liga Player of the Month (POTM) for FIFA 23, winning the award for the month of September.
The Uruguayan has been phenomenal for Real Madrid over the past few seasons. However, he has really started shining in the current campaign, marshaling their midfield and scoring decisive goals.
Valverde has received a special Squad Building Challenge (SBC) in FUT to celebrate this achievement. However, fans are not too pleased with the upgrade the card has received over the base gold version, as well as the cost of the SBC.
Fans are not too keen on expensive Federico Valverde POTM SBC in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team
Valverde was included in the first Team of the Week squad of FIFA 23, and the POTM card has received the exact same stats as the TOTW version. However, it comes at a premium cost due to the position change from right winger to central-midfielder.
This has not gone down well with fans, who have taken to Twitter to express their displeasure with the decision made by EA Sports.
While the position change makes it easier to accommodate Valverde into their FUT squad, fans believe that the extra cost of the SBC over the TOTW version is an absolute rip-off.
Famous YouTuber and streamer Zweback expressed his disbelief at the expensive SBC requirements on Twitter when the SBC was released.
Public Service Announcement 🚨
POTM Valverde = 200k
IF Valverde with the exact same stats = 140k. WOW. https://t.co/O1k9CUiOcW
A FIFA-themed account called FUT Mentor shared a rather helpful SBC analysis on Twitter, concluding with the opinion that the SBC is not worth the coin investment.
Will you complete Valverde POTM? https://t.co/81EW7j2HtL
The upgrade pattern being followed by EA Sports for these POTM versions has left the fanbase confused.
This fan, in particular, expressed his confusion and asked EA for clarification regarding how they decide on the boosts provided to POTM winners.
I don't understand it... Rashford POTM only getting 1 Inform upgrade, Valverde doesn't even get an upgrade on his inform... but Gakpo POTM is going to be +1 on his inform... make it make sense EA #FIFA23
Former professional FIFA player Mike LaBelle also gave his thoughts on the SBC with a rather insightful video discussing the POTM Valverde card.
As someone who has competed at the top level in the esports scene and is exceptionally skilled in FIFA 23, his opinion is valued by many.
Completing? or Na?
POTM Valverde is the first SBC thusfar that can truly impact games without paying an extreme upcharge... However, the principle of getting the same player with his current IF at nearly 100k cheaper, seems like a premium upcharge for a virtual position shift. https://t.co/LDDaLPZlIQ
As is the norm whenever an expensive SBC is released, fans were also comparing Valverde to the tradeable alternatives present in the FIFA 23 transfer market.
One Twitter user pointed out how players can just purchase a tradeable gold N'Golo Kante instead of investing their coins in an untradeable Federico Valverde.
POTM Valverde is more expensive than gold Kante, that also is tradeable. Why are ppl crazy about that SBC? #FIFA23 #FUT23
Another fan shared a rather lengthy review of the special Valverde card on Twitter, including its pros and cons. He gave the item an overall rating of 6/10, and it would be interesting to know to what extent the price of the challenge affected this rating.
Valverde POTM Review:
SM 3⭐
WF 4⭐
Pros👍
- 89 Pace
- 89 Short Pass
- 88 Long Pass
- 88 Stamina
- Club Links
Cons👎
- 69 Crossing
- 70 Balance
- Nation links
- Pace Split
- 3 SM
- Price
6/10
#FIFA23 https://t.co/Xzv8HTSRUJ
However, it was not all doom and gloom on Twitter. Several fans also saw the humorous side to the situation, cracking jokes and sharing memes about the price of the latest SBCs released by EA Sports. This includes the new Marcus Rashford POTM card.
my club after POTM Rashford & POTM Valverde SBC's release this weekend https://t.co/nZdRtPTRDx
It has been a rather eventful week for FIFA 23 Ultimate Team. Although EA Sports has released a ton of content to keep fans engaged, a lot of their decisions have been rather hit or miss.
Fans will be eager to see the direction in which the content goes now that the game cycle is well and truly underway.