Rodrigo Palacio has had a distinguished career in world football but he can often feel like the forgotten man. Perhaps because he came to Europe relatively late in his career or because for Argentina there are sexier options for striker position and I don't even have to name them and you probably have at least three or four names in your head.
But that takes nothing away from the players immense skill. A strong, pacy, and technically astute striker, Palacio scores goals and leads the line like few of those other Argentina strikers do and, in Italy at least, he has been regarded as one of the best strikers in the league since his move to Genoa in 2009.
Now, FIFA 21 players can celebrate him at his relatively youthful peak with a special card as part of the Birthday promo, we've already had Huntelaar and Podolski and it looks like the Birthday promo is all about those long-forgotten strikers. All Birthday cards come with boosted stats as well as a permanent 5* Skill Moves or Weak Foot upgrade, in Palacio's case it's a Skill Moves upgrade and he looks great for it.
Players can get their hands on him by completing a series of Squad Building Challenges (SBCs). We show you how to do it as cheap as possible.
FIFA 21 Rodrigo Palacio Birthday SBC - cheapest solutions
To get Palacio into your Ultimate Team you will need to complete two SBCs, each with their own requirements, rewards and solutions. We detail all below.
Both SBCs should cost between 190-210k depending on the platform.
Note: All prices are courtesy of FUTBIN and are subject to change.
Serie A TIM SBC
- # of players from Serie A TIM: Min 1
- Squad Rating: Min 83
- Team Chemistry: Min 70
- # of players in the Squad: 11
Reward: 1 Premium Electrum Pack
(Picture: FUTBIN)
This squad will cost you between 29k (PS) and 34k (PC) depending on your platform.
Argentina SBC
- # of players from Argentina: Min 1
- IF Players: Min 1
- Squad Rating: Min 85
- Team Chemistry: Min 60
- # of players in the Squad: 11
Reward: 1 Premium Gold Pack
(Picture: FUTBIN)
This squad will cost you between 154k (Xbox) and 197k (PC) depending on your platform.
Rodrigo Palacio Birthday - stats
(Picture: FUTBIN)
From a 75-rated base to an 88-rated Birthday promo, Palacio looks great.
Blistering Pace (93), Dribbling (95) stats that are through the roof and great Shooting (87) and Passing (83) stats, Palacio is very much meta.
No more so than with his Physicality (80) stats which underpin all of those above. A great striker and if you run a Serie A side there are few better.