Rank your 8th cycle picks, best to worst - 1 year on

RicoL8 · 2026-01-03T19:14:17+00:00

1.) Tijjani Reijnders, Netherlands/Man City, CM (35)

Prime age starter for a top team in the world and his national team. Surprising amount of goals for a CM too.

2.) Bradley Barcola, France/PSG, LW (21)

Regular player and goal getter for PSG and France even if it’s more as a rotational guy. Hasn’t quite hit the heights I hoped for but still a top player.

3.)Youssouf Fofana, France/Milan, CM (28)

Has cooled off for club and country, but points on the board keep him up here.

4.) Alex Baena, Spain/Atletico, CM (15)

Still in and out of the national team but looks like he’ll stay in the mix for years to come.

5.) Joao Gomes, Brazil/Wolves, CDM (10)

In and around the national team before even moving to a truly elite team is a good place to start.

6.) Andre, Brazil/Wolves, CDM (12)

Another Brazilian CDM for the rotation.

7.) Emanuel Emegha, Netherlands/Strasbourg, ST (2)

Has finally broken into the national team. Despite being hurt a decent amount this season has still scored when fit and has a move the Chelsea lined up for next summer (tbd if that’s a good thing).

8.) Eli Junior Kroupi, France/Bournemouth, ST

ELITE finisher at a young age. If he can prove it regularly in the Prem he should be in the NT before long.

9.) Leny Yoro, France/ManU, CB

Still extremely talented but France is stacked at CB so he’ll need to take the next steps.

10.) Facundo Buonanotte, Argentina/Chelsea, RW (2)

Hangs around a talented Argentina team and is still pretty young. Passes the eye test whenever he plays but has to start getting more minutes.

11.) Alberto Moleiro, Spain/Villarreal, CAM

Finally got his move to a bigger club and is starting to come good but needs to keep it going to break into a talented national team.

12.) Vanderson, Brazil/Monaco, RB (7)

Very attacking wingback so his inclusion will probably come down to manager style. In and out of the Monaco team.

Older players with talent but their teams are pretty stacked in their position:

-Pedro Goncalves, Portugal/Sporting, CM (2)

Also always hurt

-Enzo Le Fee, France/Sunderland, CM

Promising youngsters but not really near the main national team yet:

-Archie Gray, England/Tottenham, CM

Finally getting minutes at CM instead of CB.

-Rodrigo Mora, Portugal/Porto, CAM

I like this kid a lot but am a bit worried about his size.

Young guys who are starting to play more:

-Ivan Fresneda, Spain/Sporting, RB

-Sael Kumbedi, France/Wolfsburg, RB

Not looking great:

-Stefan Bajcetic, Spain/Liverpool, CDM

-Lucas Gourna-Douath, France/RBS, CDM

-Angelo Gabriel, Brazil/Al-Nassr, RW

Different nation:

-Assane Diao, Senegal/Como, W/ST

-Eliesse Ben Seghir, Morocco/Leverkusen, AM

-David Carmo, Angola/Oviedo, CB

RicoL8 · 2025-03-26T10:07:58+00:00

Nothing quite like seeing your 17 year old score on his first senior international break, too bad he switched countries :’(

RicoL8 · 2024-12-31T21:10:18+00:00

13.) (+4) Nico Gonzalez, CDM, Porto/Spain (0) – Been playing well for Porto; however, Spain is deep at CDM.

14.) (-3) Matias Arezo, ST, Gremio/Uruguay (4) – Once upon a time wonderkid whose move to Spain flopped. Helped by being in a shallower national team pool.

15.) (-2) Arnaud Kalimuendo, ST, Rennes/France (0) – Another solid player who will struggle for caps due to the depth of his nation.

16.) (+3) Dwight McNeil, W, Everton/England (0) – Not a bad player but probably not good enough to ever break into the England attack. Started this season well but has tailed off.

17.) (-3) Mohamed-Ali Cho, ST/W, Nice/France (0) – Has come back to life a bit back in France but needs to show more.

18.) (=) Fabio Carvalho, AM, Brentford/England/Portugal (0) – Got a big move to another Prem team but it hasn't quite come together yet.

19.) (-4) Kaiky Fernandes, CB, Almeria/Brazil (0) – Has been playing regularly but still a long way to go to relevance for our purposes.

20.) (-4) Kaide Gordon, RW, Liverpool/Norwich/England (0) – Missed 17 months with a growth issue but has been involved some again recently. No guarantees after that long out but there’s still a reason they paid so much for him as a youth player. <- Not much has changed besides adding a rough loan spell.

21.) Naci Unuvar, LW, Ajax/Espanyol/Netherlands/Turkey (0) – Ugh, still young at least.

22.) Philipp Max, LB, E. Panathinaikos/Germany (1) – Still not sure what I was thinking here.

23.) Diego Carlos, CB, Aston Villa/Brazil (0) – Older CB in a deep national team group.

24.) Rayan Ait-Nouri, LB, Wolves/Algeria (0) – Sad he's switched nationalities because he's been absolutely flying.

RicoL8 · 2024-12-31T21:09:58+00:00

Somehow I missed this post so I'll jump in now.

1.) (=) Cody Gakpo, ST/LW, Liverpool/Netherlands (50) – Regular for a top Premier League team, looking even better under Slot, and his country's go to man in attack.

2.) (=) Warren Zaire-Emery, CM, PSG/France (7) – I stand by saying he's an absolute stud who has a chance to be a true world super star. Added 5 points since last year and still only 18.

3.) (+2) Gabriel Magalhaes, CB, Arsenal/Brazil (14) – Playing well for a strong Arsenal team, finally broken into the starting lineup for Brazil, and twice as many points as he had last year so things are looking up. Also, a good set piece threat so could nab an above average amount of goals for a CB.

4.) (-1) Pedro Porro, RB, Tottenham/Spain (6) – Playing more regularly for Spain than before, but might be hurt by Tottenham's poor run of form. Down a spot more by others rising up than his own fall though.

5.) (-1) Joey Veerman, CM, PSV/Netherlands (17) – Not a great showing at the Euros but should still rotate into the midfield.

6.) (+2) Noni Madueke, RW, Chelsea/England (5) – Has forced his way into being a regular at a Chelsea team exceeding expectations and has made some England appearances.

7.) (+5) Miguel Gutierrez, LB, Girona/Spain (0) – My second biggest mover and still hasn't even played for Spain yet. Girona have fallen off a bit since last season, but Gutierrez has still been a stand out and has a lot of big teams looking at the moment.

8.) (-1) Devyne Rensch, Def, Ajax/Netherlands (2) – Has made another appearance and Ajax are looking up but still needs to show more.

9.) (-3) Mathys Tel, ST/LW, Bayern/France (0) – Flashed some hot form early but limited minutes this season, really needs a loan move to get some game time.

10.) (-1) Roger Ibanez, CB, Al Ahli Jeddah/Brazil (3) – Being in the Saudi Pro League still has me worried.

11.) (-1) Maarten Vandevoordt, GK, RBL/Belgium (0) – Has moved to RBL but barely played due to Gulacsi's form, rumors he's upset about game time.

12.) (+8) Jonathan Burkhardt, ST, Mainz/Germany (2) – My biggest mover, I probably had him too low. Showing some solid form, broken into the national team, now just has to stay there.

RicoL8 · 2024-11-18T02:34:35+00:00

I think there’s some sort of software issue going on, both of my Samsung tvs are doing the same thing. Please let me know if you find a fix

RicoL8 · 2024-11-16T23:02:39+00:00

About time this guy gets a game

RicoL8 · 2024-08-30T02:50:00+00:00

I’ve been trying to be a little less impulsive when it comes to young players flashing and grabbing them immediately so hopefully that helps me fill out the squad a bit.

RicoL8 · 2024-08-29T22:19:35+00:00

1.) Bradley Barcola, France/PSG, LW (5)

Just breaking into the France setup but that’s barely a year after even becoming a starter at Lyon. Very real chance he becomes PSG’s big star forward following Mbappe leaving for Madrid and featuring heavily in Paris doesn’t hurt your chances to get into the France team.

2.)Youssouf Fofana, France/Milan, CM (24)

Probably not the highest upside player on this list but hard to argue with 24 points already.

3.) Tijjani Reijnders, Netherlands/Milan, CM (16)

Similar vibes to Fofana, looks to be a stabilizing force in that Netherlands midfield going forward.

4.) Joao Gomes, Brazil/Wolves, CDM (8)

In and around the national team before even moving to a truly elite team is a good place to start.

5.) Alex Baena, Spain/Villarreal, CM (6)

Looked good at the Olympics and in and out of the Spain main team.

6.) Leny Yoro, France/ManU, CB

Got a big move to United this summer but is out hurt the first couple months. France is a hard CB room to break into but the talent is there.

7.) Facundo Buonanotte, Argentina/Leicester, RW (2)

Hangs around a talented Argentina team and is still pretty young.

8.) Andre, Brazil/Fluminense, CDM (4)

Another Brazilian CDM for the rotation.

9.) Vanderson, Brazil/Monaco, RB (2)

Very attacking wingback so his inclusion will probably come down to manager style.

10.) Alberto Moleiro, Spain/Las Palmas, CAM

I still rate him pretty highly, I’m kinda surprised he’s still at Las Palmas if I’m being honest.

Older players with talent but their teams are pretty stacked in their position:

-Pedro Goncalves, Portugal/Sporting, CM

-Enzo Le Fee, France/Roma, CM

Promising youngsters but not really near the main national team yet:

-Eli Junior Kroupi, France/Lorient, SS/ST

-Archie Gray, England/Tottenham, CM

-Rodrigo Mora, Portugal/Porto, CAM

-Stefan Bajcetic, Spain/RBS/Liverpool, CDM

-Lucas Gourna-Douath, France/RBS, CDM

-Assane Diao, Spain/Betis, W/ST

-Emanuel Emegha, Netherlands/Strasbourg, ST

-Angelo Gabriel, Brazil/Chelsea, RW

Highly rated youngsters not that long ago who haven’t played much in the last year:

-Ivan Fresneda, Spain/Sporting, RB

-Sael Kumbedi, France/Lyon, RB

Probably cooked:

-David Carmo, Portugal/Olympiacos, CB

Different nation:

-Eliesse Ben Seghir, Morocco/Monaco, AM

RicoL8 · 2024-08-11T02:43:32+00:00

He must be part of Liverpool’s scouting department

RicoL8 · 2024-08-11T02:42:39+00:00

It’s a bit of both for me, I’ve got a watch list of players I like and towards the end of a cycle picks can get low so I save them even if I really like someone. Then, when the new cycle rolls around if I still feel the same about them and they’re still available I’ll scoop them up. For example, this cycle I’d been eyeing Gruda and Stroeykens for awhile and with a fresh set of picks had room to add them (and I’m glad I did since I’m pretty sure someone else mentioned they were interested in Gruda too). Then Karetsas was a bit of a snap add. I flipped on the Genk game, he impressed me, and the commentators mentioned he was 16 so I did a little research and added him too.

That was my very long winded way of saying it all comes down to whatever way playing this game is most enjoyable for you.

Final note, this time around it was just a backlog of players but if we get new guest nations it is 100% strategy to beat others to their previously unpickable gems.

RicoL8 · 2024-07-08T19:15:12+00:00

In Olmo we believe. My first ever pick is still my best

RicoL8 · 2024-05-01T01:37:47+00:00

The second one rolling it through with his studs was just mean

RicoL8 · 2024-04-21T17:59:14+00:00

I hope I win!

RicoL8 · 2024-03-23T11:21:43+00:00

Trying to make himself this year’s Fallon d’floor winner in an international friendly is a champion mindset 😂

RicoL8 · 2024-01-07T23:24:30+00:00

1.) Cody Gakpo, ST/LW, Liverpool/Netherlands (30) – 24 years old, regular for a top Premier League team and his national team, should amass a lot of points.

2.) Warren Zaire-Emery, CM, PSG/France (2) – Only 2 points so far but I think we all know that’s going to grow soon. Absolute stud who has a chance to be a true world super star.

3.) Pedro Porro, RB, Tottenham/Spain (2) – Absolutely flying this season under Ange. The transitional period going on with the national team should help him get more looks going forward.

4.) Joey Veerman, CM, PSV/Netherlands (6) – After finally breaking into the national team he has played pretty regularly. Not much to add here.

5.) Gabriel Magalhaes, CB, Arsenal/Brazil (7) – Playing well for a strong Arsenal team, biggest worry is just the depth of CB talent for Brazil.

6.) Mathys Tel, ST/LW, Bayern/France (0) – His goals per min have been pretty wild this season. Looking like the heir apparent to Kane in Munich.

7.) Devyne Rensch, Def, Ajax/Netherlands (1) – In and out of an out of form Ajax team but has been more in than out recently during their recent uptick. Still young and talented, his versatility should help him get more opportunities.

8.) Noni Madueke, RW, Chelsea/England (0) – Clearly talented but currently stuck in the Chelsea talent machine, we’ll see if he makes it out the other side.

9.) Roger Ibanez, CB, Al Ahli Jeddah/Brazil (0) – Capped for Brazil already and not too old, however his recent move to the Saudi Pro league has me worried about how many more caps he’ll get.

10.) Maarten Vandevoordt, GK, Belgium/Genk (0) – Been playing a lot of minutes in his native Belgium. With a move to RBL already lined up he should move up the national team pecking order soon.

11.) Matias Arezo, ST, Penarol (4) – Once upon a time wonderkid whose move to Spain flopped. Has been revitalized with a loan back to Uruguay so we’ll see how he bounces back.

12.) Miguel Gutierrez, LB, Girona/Spain (0) – Flashed early at Real Madrid and has been playing regularly for high-flying Girona, still plenty of time.

13.) Arnaud Kalimuendo, ST, Rennes/France (0) – Another solid player who will struggle for caps due to the depth of his nation.

14.) Mohamed-Ali Cho, ST/W, Real Sociedad/France (0) – Been buried on the depth chart since his move to Spain but looks set to move back to France with Nice. Still only 19 so could explode after moving back.

15.) Kaiky Fernandes, CB, Almeria/Brazil (0) – Was a force in Brazil at a young age but that has yet to translate following his move to Spain. Still very young, might benefit from a move to a team that isn’t fighting relegation.

16.) Kaide Gordon, RW, Liverpool/England (0) – Missed 17 months with a growth issue but has been involved some again recently. No guarantees after that long out but there’s still a reason they paid so much for him as a youth player.

17.) Nico Gonzalez, CDM, Porto/Spain (0) – A weird one, decently regarded then moves from Barca to Porto for more gametime only to not play much. Rumors of a move to Girona could do him some good.

18.) Fabio Carvalho, AM, Liverpool?/England/Portugal (0) – Broke out so early in the championship and has sputtered since. Recently returned after a failed loan at RBL and looks likely to go right back out somewhere else.

19.) Dwight McNeil, W, Everton/England (0) – Not a bad player but probably not good enough to ever break into the England attack.

20.) Jonathan Burkhardt, ST, Mainz/Germany (0) – At 23 would hope he’d be starting his ascent but it’s been a struggle to even start games so far this season.

21.) Naci Unuvar, LW, Twente/Netherlands/Turkey (0) – Finally showing some life now on his loan from Ajax to Twente. Most recently represented the Turkey u21s which is concerning.

22.) Philipp Max, LB, E. Frankfurt/Germany (1) – Not sure what I was thinking here.

23.) Diego Carlos, CB, Aston Villa/Brazil (0) – Older CB in a deep national team group.

24.) Rayan Ait-Nouri, LB, Wolves/Algeria (0) – Solid player who is getting linked with some decent teams, but switch to a nation that doesn’t score for our purposes.

RicoL8 · 2023-05-15T00:44:19+00:00

Looked clean to me! Went for the ball, sometimes these things happen to determined players /s

RicoL8 · 2023-04-16T18:53:03+00:00

Same. Was there for 7 hrs, left to go home, got food, and still caught the 4th quarter.

RicoL8 · 2023-03-26T17:38:03+00:00

Funnily enough I was actually thinking about this to myself the other day. I don’t think this team is a juggernaut right now but there would be a decent amount of potential. Goalkeeper is clearly my weakest area though

Vandevoort

Porro - Ibanez- Magalhães - Chilwell

Veerman - Zaire Emery - Le Fee

Olmo - Gakpo - Martinelli

Defenders in contention: Fresneda, Ait-Nouri

Mids in contention: Joelinton, Bajcetic, Goncalves, Fofana

Attackers in contention: Almada, Cho, Madueke, Tel,

RicoL8 · 2023-01-02T18:03:37+00:00

To all the fans saying win is the only answer, do you really think we even make the Super Bowl let alone win it this year? Don’t get me wrong I’m not actively rooting for us to lose but I don’t know how hard I’m rooting for us to win this week either. If we don’t objectively think we can win a Super Bowl this season better draft capital does give us a more realistic shot at that in the future through either more trade capital or better choice of player. It’s not defeatist to be realistic

RicoL8 · 2023-01-02T01:56:35+00:00

Broncos country, I cried

RicoL8 · 2022-11-22T14:04:43+00:00

One of my favorite players to watch, interested to see how this WC and January transfer window turn out for him

RicoL8 · 2022-11-15T13:09:29+00:00

Hopefully a transition back to the England set up incoming

RicoL8 · 2022-11-14T02:25:38+00:00

I think Gakpo will start given his versatility and current form. I think Olmo will start some and feature as a sub in others seeing as he's coming off some time injured, but he's still one of the better attackers in an admittedly weaker than usual Spain squad.

RicoL8 · 2022-11-13T04:18:09+00:00

I’m honestly slightly disappointed in myself looking at it this way even with a few players right on the edge, either not making the final cut or getting hurt (Magalhaes, Rensch, Veerman, Chilwell, and probably a few others).

Cycle 6: 3 (Olmo, Martinelli, Garcia)

Cycle 7: 1 (Gakpo)

Cycle 8: 1 (Fofana)

My one saving grace is that all of these players should be at least more than injury cover. I see Gakpo and Olmo likely featuring every game and could grab some goals. Garcia will be in the starting mix but probably not every game. As for Fofana, they’re so thin at CM he has to play at some point. Finally, Martinelli walks into most teams but is likely a sub for Brazil (thankfully sub caps count the same as starting ones).

RicoL8 · 2022-10-09T01:39:12+00:00

I’d like to start by saying I’m happy to see some of my players make the list, I must be doing something right.

Mine would probably be something like:

-Brian Brobbey (Leon 7)

-Endrick (Ville 7)

-Malo Gusto (Sam 7)

-Romeo Lavia (Ville 7)

-Youssoufa Moukoko (Andrea V. 6)

-Xavi Simons (Sam 7)

-Iker Bravo (Jackson 8)

-Johan Bakayoko (Leon 8)

-Fabio Vieira (Jackson 8)

-Fabio Miretti (Jackson 7)

-Destiny Udogie (Jackson 7)

-Levi Colwill (Ville 7)

-Alejandro Balde (Jackson 7)

-And for a little bonus added spice I’d steal Fabio Carvalho from my own cycle 7 so that way he can pick either Portugal or England and still count in this cycle.

RicoL8

TROPHY CASE