It’s been a slightly awkward year for EA Sports with their football game behemoth FIFA having to undergo an identity transformation to the much less cool-sounding EAFC 24. On top of that two of its biggest selling cash cows when it comes to ultimate team Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are both rapidly approaching the ends of their respective careers, with one choosing to eke out his career in Saudi Arabia and the latter in the MLS in the United States.

Not so much of a problem you might think, EA FC still covers those teams. Yes, but when it comes to end-of-season promos such as Team of the Year and the like, both players are no longer in a league deemed usually worthy of being noticed. Players for team of the year traditionally come from the established bigger leagues such as the UK, Spain, France, and Germany, but this year leakers are suggesting we are to get some guest appearances from guess where….yep.

FIFA leaker (still sounds better) FUTzone has posted on X that both Messi and Ronaldo will get in the EAFC 24 Team of the Year with one making the main cut and the other arriving as 12th man, but the decision has not been made which is which as yet.

🚨 Lionel Messi 🇦🇷 and Cristiano Ronaldo 🇵🇹 both have cards added to come during TOTY!

One most likely 12th man (voting), other should be in the squad, it’s undecided yet! 🤯💣

Collab design with @EAFCEire 🔥#FC24 pic.twitter.com/DPDxxfjZr7

— FUTZone – EA SPORTS FC News 🔺 (@FUTZONEFIFA) January 14, 2024

Messi of course won the Balon d’Or and picked up a World Cup Medal whereas Ronaldo bought a new mansion in the desert, but he still scored 44 goals in just 50 games for Al Nassr. 

As GGRecon rightly points out however, for those two to get in some big names from the European leagues are going to have to miss out. Harry Kane from Bayern? Vinicius from Real Madrid? Mo Salah is also tipped to only get an Honorable Mention card.

As the Team of the Year is voted for by the fans and Messi and Ronaldo have those in abundance, it is almost a shoe-in they will get into the team for as long as they are lacing up their boots.

Team of the Year will go live on Friday with the reveal of both the Men’s and Women’s cards.

Paul McNally

Gaming Editor

Paul McNally has been around consoles and computers since his parents bought him a Mattel Intellivision in 1980. He has been a prominent games journalist since the 1990s, spending over a decade as editor of popular print-based video games and computer magazines, including a market-leading PlayStation title published by IDG Media. Having spent time as Head of Communications at a professional sports club and working for high-profile charities such as the National Literacy Trust, he returned as Managing Editor in charge of large US-based technology websites in 2020. Paul has written high-end gaming content for GamePro, Official Australian PlayStation Magazine, PlayStation Pro, Amiga Action, Mega Action, ST Action, GQ, Loaded, and the The Mirror. He has also hosted panels at retro-gaming conventions and can regularly be found guesting on gaming podcasts and Twitch shows. He is obsessed with 3D printing and has worked with several major brands in the past to create content Believing that the reader deserves actually to enjoy what they are reading is a big part of Paul’s ethos when it comes to gaming journalism, elevating the sites he works on above the norm. Reach out on X.

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