The new player image of Norwegian football professional Omar Elabdellaoui has generated a lot of feedback within the community of FC 24. But behind the card with glasses is a special story.
This is the situation:
- EA Sports has updated some player images in Ultimate Team as part of the latest update for FC 24.
- Alongside stars like Mbappe, Salah, or Bellingham, the card of Norwegian Omar Elabdellaoui, who is contracted with FK Bodø/Glimt in his home country, has also received an update.
- The special thing: The 32-year-old now wears glasses, making him a rarity within the virtual card collecting game.
But not without reason. Because what seems like pure coolness at first glance turns out to be a dramatic story that almost cost the fullback his eyesight and, therefore, his further professional career.
EA Sports releases card of Omar Elabdellaoui with glasses in FC 24
Here’s what it’s about: That Omar Elabdellaoui can stand on the field again today is almost a miracle.
On New Year’s Eve in 2021, a firecracker exploded in the hand of the then-professional of Galatasaray Istanbul, which not only caused severe burns to his face but also led to a significant impairment of his eyesight.
The Norwegian later described in a Twitter post how he had perceived the accident.
“When the accident happened, everything was black for me, I was completely blind and my face was completely burned,” Elabdellaoui recalled and went on to explain how he regained vision in his right eye only after months.
“A very long road with many operations” was necessary for this. On one hand, a burned eyelid had to be reconstructed and an eye surgery using stem cells from his sister had to be performed. A cornea transplant ultimately led his odyssey to a positive conclusion.
The chapter of Galatasaray Istanbul is over for the 32-year-old, who has also been active in Germany for Eintracht Braunschweig, but the memory of the turning point from his time in Turkey now continues in Ultimate Team.
For fans of the virtual card collecting game, the new player image is already among the best ever. One of the top comments on the Futbin page of the card titles it as “the coolest dynamic image of all time!”.
What do you think of the new image? Feel free to let us know in the comments!
