Eventually, every football player must end their career. We show you 5 football stars who will no longer appear in FIFA 23.
There are football players like Buffon (44), Ibrahimovic (40), and Ronaldo (37) who seemingly will never stop playing football. But these players are the exception, as many players pay tribute to age and end their professional careers this summer or move to leagues that FIFA simply has not licensed.
We show you 5 famous footballers who will be missing in FIFA 23.
Sergio Agüero
This is Sergio “Kun” Agüero: The Argentine striker is especially known for his time at Manchester City. There he became a club legend and won everything one can win except for the Champions League. He later moved to the Spanish league to FC Barcelona and signed a contract until 2023.
However, he could not fulfill this. The then 33-year-old Agüero had to end his career in December 2021 due to heart problems. Thus, his FUT-22 card will remain his last for the time being.
James Rodriguez
This is James Rodriguez: The Colombian had a brilliant career, which he crowned at Real Madrid with the winning of two “Champions League” titles. After that, the offensive midfielder moved to FC Bayern Munich, FC Everton, and then to al-Rayyan SC in Qatar. However, he could not recapture the performances of his early days.
Now, the former superstar, at 30, is seeking a move to Botafogo in Brazil. And since Brazil’s first league has consistently been missing in FIFA in recent years, it is very likely that there will be no FUT-23 card for “James.”
Which leagues and clubs could potentially be added in FIFA 23, you can find out here:
FIFA 23: New Clubs and Leagues – Which Ones Are Included?
Marcel Schmelzer
This is Marcel Schmelzer: In recent years, it has been quiet around the former German national player, who played professionally only for Borussia Dortmund. Throughout his career, he won two German championships and 3 DFB-Pokal titles with BVB.
Now the 34-year-old left-back is hanging up his boots and will thus no longer be playable in FIFA 23. However, in FIFA 22 Ultimate Team, you can still get a really strong End-of-Era card of Schmelzer.
Martin Hinteregger
This is Martin Hinteregger: The Austrian center-back played for Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Mönchengladbach, FC Augsburg, and most recently Eintracht Frankfurt. His biggest achievement was undoubtedly the spectacular winning of the UEFA Europa League last season.
Now the only 29-year-old is surprisingly ending his professional career and will thus no longer appear on the pitch or in FIFA 23.
Jermain Defoe
This is Jermain Defoe: The English striker legend had his most successful time at Tottenham and Sunderland, where he scored and assisted numerous goals. Now EA honors the 39-year-old at the end of his career with a strong End-of-Era card in FUT 22, as he has announced his retirement.
In the long run, it is certainly possible that some of these players will return to FIFA again – namely as Icon cards in FIFA 23.
When FIFA 23 will be released is still open. However, more and more information about the new series installment is coming together. An overview of the FIFA 23 release and all leaks can be found here.
