FIFA 21: Lionel Messi loses ‘Thanos’ jawline and no longer looks like ‘Shrek’

FIFA 21 has usually done a pretty decent job at capturing player likeness.

Thanks to the wonders of the ever-evolving Frostbite engine, in-game player fidelity tends to improve with every iteration of EA’s game.

Lionel Messi the garden gnome

Sometimes, things don’t go to plan. Case in point, FIFA 21’s Lionel Messi – whose in-game face was targeted by angry FIFA fans who claimed it looked nothing like him, boasted a ‘Thanos’ jaw and resembled a ‘garden gnome'.

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TIME LAPSE: EA Hasn't exactly been kind to Messi this year

Thankfully, the EA team keeps its ear to the ground when complaints like this arise – and they massively improved Messi’s face with a subsequent patch.

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"He doesn’t look like Shrek anymore," one happy user posted on Reddit.

Even Juve’s Cristiano Ronaldo had some work done… with EA trimming off his man bun.

Not just Messi

Sadly, the 33-year-old Argentine isn’t the only person in the game who, the community believes, could do with a facelift.

One Reddit user wrote: “Carlo Ancelotti definitely needs a update, looks like he’s fresh off the PS2!”

Elsewhere in FIFA, the Title Update 3 patch, which rolled out earlier this week, has actually made the game more difficult if you choose to play against the AI.

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I AM INEVITABLE: Messi has been making defences turn to dust for years

That’s because a brand new Competitor mode has been added – which can be switched on for Ultimate and Legendary difficulties, which has been based on the play of real-life FIFA professionals.

Expect crazy skill moves, some pin-point timed finishing, and epic defending when taking on the AI in Competitor Mode.

It remains to be seen how much harder the mode will become now, but the fact that the AI defending of counter-attacks will be improved, has just minimalised one of the better chances of you finding the net.

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