Comparing the first ever FUT cards of Liverpool’s CL winners to now
Plenty has been said about how far many of Liverpool‘s Champions League winners have come in the last few years, but now we can really put it in context.
A reddit user going by ‘brunodavino’ has put together an XI using the starters in the victory over Spurs in Madrid, but there’s a twist.
The XI uses each player’s first FIFA Ultimate Team card, which in most cases comes from one of the clubs they turned out for before Liverpool. Knowing where many of them came from, it’s not surprising to see a substantial improvement. We’ve taken a look at how they stack up to their FIFA 19 gold equivalents.
Alisson 76 – 85
The goalkeeper’s first card, during his time at Internacional, carried a rating of 76. His 2018-19 Team of the Season card had him up to 85, with his reflexes climbing from 82 to a massive 88 and kicking up a huge 15 points to 85.
Trent Alexander-Arnold 68 – 78
We know Alexander-Arnold has come on leaps and bounds in the last couple of years, but this is still a ridiculous jump.
From 68 when he was waiting to break through at Anfield to a full 10 points higher in FIFA 19, and surely it’ll get even higher in the next edition. His passing has shown a great improvement but, perhaps surprisingly, his pace rating has fallen a couple of points.
READ: Trent Alexander-Arnold was a WC back-up last year & that now sounds absurd
Joël Matip 72 – 81
Having made his top-flight debut at 18, Matip was always likely to have a reasonable starting point, but he’s still stepped things up as he’s got older.
Now, 10 years on from his Schalke bow, the centre-back has seen his score for defending climb from 70 to a beefy 82.
Virgil van Dijk 71 – 88
Van Dijk’s early rating comes from his time at Celtic, and he rose up at Southampton before hitting a pinnacle of 88 in a Liverpool shirt.
The one thing that stands out is the rating of just 53 for pace on the Bhoys card, compared to a much healthier 75 now.
READ: The making of Virgil van Dijk: ‘Quick, strong, confident’…and a handy striker
Andy Robertson 61 – 81
Robertson’s 61 card is from his time at Dundee United, and we can’t imagine the numbers he’d have had if a Queen’s Park card existed.
Pace was his strongest attribute at the time, and even that has gone up (from 77 to 84), while his defending ability has jumped a full 20 points from 57 to 77.
Georginio Wijnaldum 72 – 82
Not only has Wijnaldum shown the smallest improvement of the three midfielders to start in Madrid, but he was the only one listed as a central midfielder on his first card.
His improvement has been pretty consistent across the board, with no massive jumps.
Fabinho 67 – 85
Fabinho began his career as a right-back, and few could have guessed from his first FUT card that he would become a great central midfielder.
His passing and defending stats have both shot up in the intervening period, the former going from 59 to 79.
Jordan Henderson 67 – 82
Still thought of as a right-sided player when he broke through at Sunderland, Henderson has grown into a great player and a fantastic captain in the middle of the park.
His passing has improved hugely in the process, climbing from 60 to a massive 83.
READ: Transformed Jordan Henderson an embodiment of the new Liverpool
Mohamed Salah 74 – 88
The scorer of Liverpool’s opener in the Champions League final, Salah has stepped up from an impressive but not world-beating card during his time with Basel.
He has always had pace (91 then, 92 now) but a jump from 61 to 84 in the ‘shooting’ category catches the eye.
Roberto Firmino 75 – 86
Firmino had the highest starting point of any Liverpool outfielder, but he’s still stepped up since joining from Hoffenheim.
His dribbling and shooting have both improved under Jürgen Klopp to the tune of seven and 13 points respectively.
Sadio Mané 69 – 86
Mané, like Salah, was still listed as a wide midfielder on his first FUT card for Red Bull Salzburg.
His blistering 87 pace has become even more blistering at 94, but the double-figure jumps in shooting and dribbling are what really stand out.
More Liverpool
James Milner and Jurgen Klopp are the ultimate proof opposites attract
Ranking Liverpool’s 27 weirdest signings of the Premier League era
Trent Alexander-Arnold was a WC back-up last year & that now sounds absurd