Why Gerard Pique could become the next FIFA 23 End of an Era SBC

Gerard Pique could become the next footballer to get a FIFA 23 End of an Era card. The unique cards are introduced by EA Sports each year to celebrate the professional achievements of famous footballers. This year's release has already received one, with an SBC that unlocks a special card of Gonzalo Higuain.

On the same evening the SBC was released, Gerard Pique announced his decision to end his career. Barcelona's next domestic league match will be his final one as part of the Blaugrana. He retired from national duties some years back and has been concentrating on club football until now.

As a footballer, the Spaniard has achieved plenty in the world of football. He has received several honors for his club and country and was a loyal servant for several years. His major honors with Spain include the Euros and the FIFA World Cup. As for the club, he had a brief trophy-laden spell for Manchester United, but it was at Barcelona where Pique came of age.

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Pique's retirement announcement makes him a favorite for the next End of an Era SBC in FIFA 23

The End of an Era SBC has only been added for footballers who have announced their retirement. Traditionally, the SBCs are added when the footballers are in their last season. The same rationale has been applied to Gonzalo Higuain's SBC, with the Argentine writing the final script of his career at the MLS.

So far, there have been no leaks about Pique's card or the possibility of the SBC coming anytime soon. However, speculations are pretty high, with the footballer retiring soon. Hence, it is likely that EA Sports will want to introduce the challenge as soon as possible.

Moreover, there are no other popular footballers who have announced their retirements so far. Such an occasion would have meant another contender to get an End of an Era SBC in FIFA 23. As of now, the Spanish defender is the only contender to get another special card in the game.

He recently received a new FIFA 23 card with the Rulebreakers promo, which is quite popular. The card has a robust set of stats, boosted by the nature of the promo. Any card released to celebrate his achievements will have similar boosts, especially in pace, defense, and physicality.

One alternative that players might guess is a Flashback card, which goes back to a remarkable season in a footballer's life. Pique has had plenty of such seasons, including winning multiple trophies with Barcelona. However, there are reasons to believe that the End of an Era is the most likely one to happen.

Flashback SBCs are usually added in FIFA 23 for footballers yet to retire from the game or make such announcements. While the card goes back to a past season of the footballer's career, it usually comes for active ones. Hence, Flashback appears to be different from the correct one.

It remains to be seen whether EA Sports will add the SBC to FIFA 23 in the coming days, and if so, what kind of challenges players will have to complete. The potential cost will effectively depend on the overall stats of the card.