FIFA 21 Showdown | Week 22 | Porto Vs Sporting Lisbon
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had an affinity with Sporting Lisbon.
Don’t ask me why, because I don’t really know. As a kid I remember having one of the famous White & Green hooped shirts, and wearing it religiously while playing football with mates.
I remember playing as the likes of Nuno Valente, Simão, Cristiano Ronaldo, Hugo Viana, and er… Phil Babb, on Pro Evolution Soccer. There’s always been a certain ‘flair’ about them I can’t quite put into words—majestic, as their nickname Leões (or Lions, to thee and me) might suggest.
Of course when I was younger it was Rui Costa’s Benfica that were the big rivals. But since 2004 and a certain ‘Special One’, Porto have come to the fore of Portuguese football, winning 10 titles since that infamous Champions League win.
And so the rivalry of ‘The Dragões vs Leões’ rumbles on, including a big clash this weekend which could see Sporting stretch their lead at the top to 13 points (assuming Porto win tonight).
The Cards
I also really like the Portuguese league in FIFA. Each year they get their fair share of special cards, and although Alex Telles and Bruno Fernandes have left for Manchester, there’s still plenty of talent left in the league.
Of course, there’s some old heads too. And we start on the Porto side, with Real Madrid legend Pepe. Still a formidable defender at the beginning of the game, his base pace (despite the fact he’s 37) makes him competitive. With this card I’ve boosted that pace to bring it more in line with the power curve, while his defending stats get beefed significantly. Add in the fact that both our players today are Portuguese, and you should have no problem slotting them in with your 2POTM Bruno Fernandes.
On the Sporting side, we have the much travelled João Mário. He started his career with Sporting, scoring 11 goals in 65 appearances for the first team. This earned him a big money move to Inter in 2016, with the Italian giants forking out over €40 million for his services. Unfortunately for Mário, he couldn’t quite recreate the same form for Inter, scoring just 4 times in over 60 games.
This lead to a short and unsuccessful stint in the Premier League with West Ham, before another loan move to Russia. He finds himself back at Sporting on loan, where he’s scored two goals in 13 appearances.
This João Mário card is going to be a well-rounded midfielder, probably a bit like Bruno Fernandes Lite, ideal as a B2B midfielder or even at CAM with the right chemistry style.
The Conclusion
Firstly, I hope you like the cards! Is there anything you would have changed? Anyone different you’d have chosen? If so, let me know.
Until next time,
DJ
