Chelsea’s Romeo Lavia has become the latest high profile voice to express frustration with EA Sports FC 26’s Ultimate Team mode, specifically calling out Barcelona forward Claudia Pina for allegedly ruining his Weekend League experience.
He posted on his secondary instagram account @lavizzy on his story jokingly saying” You’ve gained a new hater in me what you have done to me this weekend league is unforgivable 😂”.
The Belgian midfielder, who knows a thing or two about elite football having joined Chelsea from Southampton in a £58 million deal, took to social media to share his grievances about the Spanish international’s in game dominance. His complaint has resonated with thousands of FC 26 players who have encountered similar issues during the competitive Weekend League format.
Claudia Pina, a 23 year old forward for Barcelona Femení, has unexpectedly become one of the most controversial and popular cards in EA Sports FC 26 Ultimate Team. Despite having an 86 overall rating with her standard gold card and an 87 rated Cornerstones version which costs a staggering 1.2 million coins, players have discovered that her in game performance far exceeds what her statistics suggest.
The gaming community has labeled Pina as a cheat code, with her card appearing to possess finishing abilities especially her Low Driven Playstyle+ inside the box and movement patterns that make her virtually unstoppable in competitive play. What makes the situation particularly frustrating for players like Lavia is that Pina’s dominance isn’t reflected in her card stats, making her an unexpected meta card that has flooded Weekend League matchups.
For professional footballers like Lavia who enjoy gaming in their downtime, encountering the same overpowered card repeatedly during their limited leisure time has proven particularly irksome. The midfielder’s public complaint highlights how even those who excel on real pitches aren’t immune to the frustrations that we face on the game.
Meanwhile, the actual Claudia Pina continues to excel for Barcelona in real life, where her talents are very much intentional. The Spanish forward has been a key contributor for the Catalan giants, helping them maintain their dominance in women’s football. Coming on at 60th minute and netting a brace in a 7-1 thrashing of FC Bayern Frauen in the women’s champions league last night.
The only question now is whether Lavia will swallow his pride and purchase the very card that destroyed his weekend, or if he’ll dedicate his next week to finding the digital kryptonite for the relentless Pina problem.
