Nostalgic football fans may be left disappointed as a number of Icons will not be in FIFA 23, according to online leaks.
Last week, EA Sports announced the exciting news that three new legends will be in their upcoming game. Firstly, legendary Germany and Bayern striker Gerd Muller makes his video game debut in FIFA 23. “Der Bomber” will have an 89-base Icon card, a 92 mid, and a 94-rated prime icon card in Ultimate Team.
Also joining him in FIFA 23 is fellow 70s icon Jairzinho. His ratings start a little lower than Muller’s, as the Brazilian winger has an 88-rated base card. His middle card is a 90, with the prime being a 92-rated right wing.
Finally, former Liverpool, Real and Bayern midfielder, Xabi Alonso, returns to the FIFA fold as an Icon. His lowest card is an 87 but he rises to an 89 for his mid rating. Alonso’s prime icon card comes in at 90-rated.
However, their arrival does couple with the unfortunate departure of several other legends of the game on FIFA 23.
Several Icons set to be unavailable on FIFA 23
On September 10, Twitter page FUT 23 News shared a list of eight Icons that were, at the time, not going to be in the upcoming FIFA game.
Headlining the eight is none other than Diego Maradona. EA had to remove him prematurely from FIFA 22 following a legal dispute over the legend’s image rights.
Similarly, Marc Overmars will not be in FIFA 23 after being taken out of FIFA 22, too. His removal came after news emerged of the Dutchman’s inappropriate conduct while working for Ajax.
In addition, FUT 23 News claimed that Iker Casillas, Cafu, Ryan Giggs, Pep Guardiola, Deco, and Filippo Inzaghi are out of the video game this year. Although Casillas and Cafu are fairly recent additions, the other four have been mainstays of the Icon series.
Currently, EA have not announced the reasoning behind these removals, nor have they confirmed them. Therefore, some of these players may return to the game before its official release – and it appears that two of them already have.
Casillas and Cafu to stay?
The EA Sports FIFA 23 website appears to have confirmed most – but not all – of the Twitter leaks to be correct. With the release of the top ratings on Monday, EA posted 100 Icons that will be on their upcoming game. The list includes two of those mentioned as being excised from FIFA 23.
On the website, both Cafu and Iker Casillas are on the list as featuring in the game for the second year in a row. The pair were new additions to the franchise’s Icon series at the start of FIFA 22.
Despite this, it looks like gamers will have to do without Maradona, Overmars, Giggs, Guardiola, Deco, and Inzaghi. Other adjustments include a change of card type for two former icons.
EA have changed Hidetoshi Nakata from an Icon to a FUT Hero for FIFA 23. The Japanese attacking midfielder will provide links for Serie A players. Jay-Jay Okocha also underwent a card change from Icon to FUT Hero, with his card representing Ligue 1.
FUT Heroes have received a big push on the upcoming game as they are set to be a key feature of the World Cup game mode later this year. A tie-in with Marvel has made for a very unique approach to Heroes’ card design, so maybe Nakata and Okocha’s adjustments aren’t so bad after all.
Featured Image Credit: EA Sports FIFA
