Mohamed Salah 96 End Of An Era Review: Is the 99.9 Meta-Score, 96-Pace RM Worth 2.49M Coins? FC 26

In-game feel & playstyle

This End Of An Era Salah plays exactly like the card you would build in your head if you could pick every stat. Explosive AcceleRATE on a frame with 95 Pace means he bursts away from defenders in short spaces, and a 96 Dribbling base with 96 Agility-tier feel makes him glue the ball to his Left foot through traffic. The 5-star weak foot removes any guessing about which way to finish, and his 99 Finishing plus 99 Positioning mean he is already standing where the ball ends up before the keeper has set. As a Wide Playmaker on the right he drifts inside, picks passes with 92 Passing, then explodes onto the return ball. It is one of the most complete attacking profiles in the game right now.

Strengths

• ✅ 96 Shooting & 99 Finishing, near-automatic in the box; finesse and power both convert
• ✅ 95 Pace + Explosive accel, wins the first yard in tight channels, not just open-field sprints
• ✅ 96 Dribbling, tight close control to beat a man one-on-one and cut inside onto the left foot
• ✅ 5-star weak foot, finishes confidently both sides so defenders cannot show him onto his weaker foot
• ✅ 99 Positioning & 98 Composure, arrives in the right spot and stays calm under pressure
• ✅ 92 Passing, real Wide Playmaker creation, not just a finisher

Weaknesses

• ❌ 51 Defending, gives you nothing tracking back, so pair him with a covering full-back
• ❌ 4-star skill moves, excellent but not the 5-star flair some elite wingers offer
• ❌ 83 Physical, strong but can be bullied off the ball by the biggest center-backs
• ❌ 2.49M price, an enormous coin outlay that locks most budgets for the rest of the cycle

Best position, chemistry style & squads

His natural RM with an RW alternate makes him a plug-and-play right-sided forward in any attacking shape. Because his Pace, Shooting and Dribbling are already maxed, you do not need to chase more of those. A Hunter is the cleanest pick if you want to top off Pace and push Shooting to the ceiling while keeping it cheap on links. If you would rather lean into the Wide Playmaker creation, a Catalyst lifts his already strong 92 Passing and keeps Pace high. Link-wise he is a Premier League anchor, so he chains effortlessly into the deep pool of EPL cards, and his Egypt nationality pairs with other Egyptian and African options if you are building a themed side. Slot him on the right of a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 with a defensively solid full-back behind him to cover the 51 Defending.

Final verdict & ratings

This is a genuine top-tier S card; the 99.9 meta score is earned by the rare combination of 95 Pace, Explosive accel, 96 Shooting, 99 Finishing, 96 Dribbling and a 5-star weak foot, with almost no usable weakness in attack. If you have the coins and want the best right-sided attacker money can buy, the 2.49M price is justified for end-game squads. Skip it only if 2.49M would gut the rest of your team; the gap between this and a strong cheaper meta winger is real but not 2M coins of real for most players. Casual and mid-budget managers are better served elsewhere.

Conclusion

An end-game finisher with no attacking flaws and a price to match. Buy it if your bank can take the hit; admire it from afar if it cannot.