FIFA 18: Four new Icons revealed

What’s the story?

EA Sports have revealed four new FIFA Ultimate Team Icons for FIFA 18 in addition to the already announced Brazilian legend Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima. The four new FUT Icons are Pele, Diego Maradona, Lev Yashin and Thierry Henry.

The context

FIFA 18 will now come with an ‘Icons’ edition instead of ‘Legends’ that was used in the previous instalments. Legendary striker Ronaldo, also known as Il Fenomeno, was already announced as the cover star of the ‘Icons’ edition of FIFA 18.

The heart of the matter

The cover star of the ‘Icons’ edition was announced along with the reveal trailer on June 5. The four new FUT Icons were unveiled in a video posted by EA Sports on June 12.

The long awaited inclusion of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele, in FIFA is finally in place. He has won the World Cup three times and is a Guinness World Records holder for the most number of goals scored.

Widely regarded as the greatest footballer ever to play the game, the Brazilian forward is bound to set the game on fire come September 29.

Argentine legend Diego Armando Maradona, a World Cup winner in 1986, will also be in FIFA 18. Also considered the best footballer of all time by many, bragging rights will surely be up for grabs when Pele and Maradona are on the same field.

Widely regarded as the greatest goalkeeper ever, former Soviet Union goalkeeper Lev Ivanovich Yashin’s inclusion has also been long overdue. Popularly known as ‘Black Spider’ and ‘Black Panther’, the Dynamo Moscow legend even wears his iconic cap in the video that was released.

Thierry Henry is a modern legend of the game and his inclusion will definitely excite the young fans, not least the Arsenal supporters. The record goalscorer of Arsenal and France, Henry is a treble winner with Barcelona as well.

He is a World Cup and Euro Cup winner with the national team. Henry and Ronaldo may form a deadly pair up top to destroy defences.

What’s next?

Several new Icons are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks. The game releases on September 29 and more legends look set to enter the fray.

Author’s take

These legends of football are included in the game for the first time ever. It will surely raise the anticipation levels of the fans and will give FIFA 18 a new dimension altogether.