'He cost 3.4m coins but he is worth every penny' – Curtis 'Paps' Poole assesses his FIFA 20 Ultimate Team

Curtis ‘Paps’ Poole is a professional FIFA player for Netherlands-based esports organisation Bundled, as well as representing Ajax in the eDivisie.

On top of those responsibilities, he also competes during Weekend League on both PlayStation and Xbox.

With the little spare time he has, Paps spoke to Goal about his PlayStation team and how he’s adapted to FIFA 20.

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Goal: You’ve got two great icons in that team, who would be the next Icon if money was no object?

‘Paps’: [Ruud] Gullit, for sure. He’s the best player in the game, he can do everything from defend to attack.

G: Nelson Semedo is only an 82 – do you find he performs better than his rating suggests?

P: I feel like he performs way better than his rating, he is quick, agile and really good on the ball and he has 4-star skills which is always a plus. Also, he fits perfectly for chemistry.

G: Who is your team’s MVP?

P: Eusebio. 5-star weak foot is key and he’s just so clutch. In moments you think there is nothing he makes something.

G: Who is your most expensive player?

P: Eusebio. He cost 3.4m coins but he is worth every penny.

G: Are there any players you tried in this team but then rejected?

P: Originally I had [N’Golo] Kante but I felt like he was too small and couldn’t get to certain passes so I got [Paul] Pogba.

G: You’ve got some of the highest-rated golds in the game in this team, apart from Cristiano Ronaldo. Is that down to chemistry or something else?

P: Fun fact: I actually had Ronaldo in my team from the start but as there were no qualifiers and everyone was raving about [Lionel] Messi I wanted to try him out in the Weekend League and see what he was about. CR7 is still my guy.

G: Eder Militao is popular with lots of pros, despite not being a high-rated centre-back. Why is he in your team?

P: Similar to Semedo, for me, he’s the second-best gold card centre-back after Virgil van Dijk. He’s just so quick and agile. His recovery is really good too.

G: You play Weekend League on both consoles. How do you find it?

P: It is extremely exhausting but I just want to practice and improve. It’s a challenge as well.

G: You’re representing Ajax in the eDivisie – if you moved to a club, is Holland your preferred choice or do you have other teams in mind?

P: I’d love to play for Ajax it would be a dream come true. They’re a great club with amazing fans.

G: How have you found changing from FIFA 19 to FIFA 20?

P: I’d say I adapted really quickly which is surprising as I consider myself a slow learner. However, I instantly picked up this game from the day it came out. FIFA 19 wasn’t my style at all, it went against everything I knew.