If you caught my recent Thierry Henry review, you already know I consider him the most underrated striker in the game for his price tag. But even legends have off days. On those rare occasions when Henry’s having a certified stinker, I’ll use super sub of the century: Ollie Watkins. And I am certainly not talking about his base gold card. I am talking about his 90 rated FUT Birthday item.
Straight out of the box with no Evolutions, there is about a 35% chance that he stays on the bench. That’s an absolute blind guess, but I am sticking to it. However, if you run him through the right Evos, this card transforms into a 98-rated monster. To reach that absolute peak, you will need to grind out 130k coins or drop 600 FC Points. If you prefer keeping your hard earned coins, the free Evolution path still gets him to a ridiculous 96 overall, complete with Finesse Shot+, Quick Step, and a handful of brilliant collateral bonuses.
Impact Player in Division Rivals
His debut for the club is the exact reason he cemented his spot as the ultimate impact player. I picked him up with my Division Rivals weekly rewards at 8 AM, endured an entire day of school, and came home just praying he wasn’t a waste of coins. In his very first match, I threw him on in the 75th minute when Henry’s stamina bar was flashing red. Within 60 seconds, a cross got whipped into the box, deflected out to the edge, and the man, the myth, the legend finessed it straight into top bins to put us 4-3 up. Then, in the 93rd minute with the last kick of the game, he went one on one with the keeper and chipped him beautifully to secure a 5-4 win. That single performance earned him this article on Wots The Verdict, and he has been banging in goals ever since.
Now, without further tomfoolery, let’s get into the good stuff. Here’s exactly how the Ollie Watkins card performs on the virtual pitch.
Pace
With 94 pace on his 90 rated card and up to 99 on his maxed out Evo Watkins is rapid. The Quick Step playstyle allows him to explode past tired defenders with zero effort. He feels incredibly fast on the ball, making him an absolute nightmare for your opponent’s sluggish center backs in the dying moments of a match. You point him toward the goal, hold sprint, and he simply leaves the defense in the dust.
Shooting
The shooting is where Watkins truly shines. His base 92 shooting is already elite, but when you add Finesse Shot+ through the Evolution, he becomes downright lethal. Inside the box, he finishes everything with raw power. Outside the box, those finesse shots loop perfectly into the top corner. His 5 star weak foot means he can comfortably strike the ball with either boot, making him entirely unpredictable and nearly impossible to defend against in front of goal.
Dribbling
Sitting at 92 dribbling, he feels incredibly smooth in possession. Despite being 5’11”, he completely avoids that clunky feel that ruins so many taller strikers in this game. He turns sharply, keeps the ball glued to his feet in tight spaces, and maneuvers through crowded penalty areas effortlessly. The 5 star skill moves provide the perfect toolkit to embarrass defenders and open up sharp shooting angles.
Physicality and Passing
His 82 physicality is solid enough to hold off fullbacks and weaker center backs, though he will get bodied by the elite tier of meta defenders if you try to hold up the ball for too long. His stamina is fantastic, meaning if you do decide to start him, he will easily last the full 90 minutes. Passing is his only slight limitation. Sitting at 84, it is perfectly fine for quick one twos around the box, but he will not be spraying pinpoint through balls across the pitch.
The Verdict
The 90 rated FUT Birthday Ollie Watkins is a brilliant card that becomes genuinely god tier if you commit to the Evolutions. He is the ultimate super sub and a more than capable starter. Whether you have the coins for the premium upgrade or just want to use the free Evo path, he will deliver massive results for your Ultimate Team.
Rating: 9.5 / 10
(An absolute bargain that more than earns his spot off the bench. He only loses half a point because his passing isn’t quite at the elite level for a full time starter. As a super sub in the 75th minute? Flawless.)
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