Icons are among the best cards in FIFA 22 – or at least they should be. But too many legends simply fall behind compared to other players.
The problem with the icons: Ronaldo, Maradona, Pelé, Cruyff, Ronaldinho, and more – yes, there are some icons in FIFA 22 that still have it.
The problem is: Compared to the “top icons,” there are unfortunately many legends in FIFA 22 that simply cannot keep up.
Alessandro Nesta. Dennis Bergkamp. Michael Owen. Ruud van Nistelrooy. Frank Lampard. Miroslav Klose. Raúl, Ballack, Schweinsteiger. The list of illustrious names that currently barely play a role in FIFA 22 is long.
Because although these players have achieved great things in their careers, their strong playing style simply does not translate well into the game. Andrea Pirlo, for example, was a fantastic passer and playmaker, but due to his low pace, he is only second-class in FIFA 22.
Similar is true for Klose: A deadly striker who simply does not exude the same threat in FIFA 22 as the real World Cup record holder did on the field. With 71 goals, he holds the record for international goals in the German national team, and no one has yet topped his 16 goals in World Cups.
Furthermore, icons are also very hard to obtain. You need extremely good luck to pull them – and if you’re unlucky, you only get them when they can no longer keep up. If at all.
On the other hand, there are players who may not excel in real life but are among the most popular cards in FIFA 22.
Atal & Co. show: The legends need revamping in FIFA 23
In FIFA 22, there are some players who are extremely popular in Ultimate Team. This is due to particularly great stats, high pace or skill stats, body types, and more.
Take, for example, the “FUT Fantasy” card of Allan Saint-Maximin. The Frenchman is undoubtedly a talented, good player in real life. But should he really have a card worth 2,600,000 coins that is better than most attackers in the game – including legends?
In the recently concluded Premier League season, he scored five goals and provided five assists for Newcastle. That’s okay, but not outstanding.
Another example: Youcef Atal from OGC Nice. The right back is also good, but not really exceptional. His new Shapeshifters card is, however, one of the best midfield cards in FIFA.
Other meta players in FIFA come to mind, such as Varane, Joe Gomez, the special card of Nabil Fekir, Vinicius Junior, or even the new Hero Shapeshifter card of David Ginola, which is among the absolute best in the game.
All of these are good, some even great players – but should they really be better than most of the icons?
What could change? Year by year, special cards in Ultimate Team become stronger, numerous events bring superstar after superstar. This has already devalued the Team of the Week significantly – and the icons simply cannot keep up at times.
This is also being discussed in the FIFA subreddit. There, a player named “reznovelty” writes: “With all this power creep, I hope icons really get a boost next year. Honestly, just make the Prime Icon Moments 95+ with crazy stats. At least they are real icons and not just any guys like Atal (no offense, Atal, if you’re reading this)” (via reddit).
In the discussion, however, the counterpoint is also raised: “On the flip side, the performance curve needs to be massively lowered,” says a user (via reddit).
Another suggests leaving the power curve as it is – but adjusting the entire rating system and starting the season with lower values (via reddit): “You can do the same promo schedule next year, but if you just started with base cards being 5 overall points lower, the curve would be much less severe.”
Additionally, a reworking of currently outmatched icon cards is conceivable. Then icons like Pirlo or Klose might receive values that fit better into the game and are not quickly surpassed by other special cards.
The problem with special cards has existed for a long time and was also a topic in FIFA 21 and FIFA 20. Whether the icons can even keep up next year? What do you think?
We will see by the end of the year at the latest when the new FIFA is released. You can find everything about the FIFA 23 release here.
