It's nearly time to say goodbye to FIFA 23, with the title the last to be released by the combination of EA and FIFA before EA FC launches.
With Ultimate Team the most popular game mode, how will EA see out the season in style?
We think EA could look to another of their franchises, Madden, to really end the FIFA 23 Ultimate Team campaign with a bang!
99 Club
The deeper we get into the Ultimate Team cycle, the higher the ratings go. However, we all know the maximum rating in FIFA titles is 99 OVR.
So far in FUT 23, only one player has gained a 99-rated card, with Pele recently released in Shapeshifters Team 1.
We expect to see a few more cards hit the same rating throughout the Shapeshifters promo, but what happens after that?
There will still be several weeks left of FUT 23 before the expected launch of EA FC, with the FUTTIES promo likely to be the last of the season.
That should bring a few more 99-rated cards, with FUT 22 seeing a total of seven unleashed in total.
However, EA could release more 99 OVR cards sooner and still give themselves room for more upgrades to see out the season, all they have to do is look to their Madden 23 title!
Mold Breakers
Madden 23 is also at the end of its game cycle, with Mold Breakers the latest promo in MUT 23 and taking things to a new level!
Several players have gained 99-rated cards in the event, but it's not their overall rating that has been maxed out but in some cases all of their attributes!
We often see FUT players max out on pace, but very rarely do we see the shooting, passing, dribbling, defending or physical attributes maxed out, and never all at once!
FUT 23 has seen a few players hit the maximum in certain categories, including:
- Winter Wildcards Jonathan Clauss (OVR 85) - 99 Passing
- Player Moments Sebastien Haller (OVR 88) - 99 Physicality
- FUT Ballers Patrick Bamford (OVR 88) - 99 Dribbling
- TOTS Robert Lewandowski (OVR 97) - 99 Shooting
- Shapeshifters Bruno Fernandes (OVR 97) - 99 Dribbling
FIFA 23 could take a leaf out of Madden's book and look to release some players with 99 attributes all around, which would really send the title off in style!
Candidates
We're not sure how cards with 99 stats across the board would go down in the FUT community, with it likely splitting opinions.
However, we're in the final stretch of the games cycle now, so it gives EA a chance to experiment and have some fun.
Whether the ratings should resemble some sort of realism still is up for debate, and if so it would likely only be midfielders and full-backs that could secure a 99 Club card.
The Shapeshifters promo is already mixing things up, and we have seen various 'unrealistic' items released throughout the season, including during Winter Wildcards.
There are definitely a few players in the game that would suit total 99 cards, with one man sitting at the top of the list...
Jude Bellingham is one of the best all-rounders in world football, and few would argue against him receiving a card with all 99 stats, especially as his Team of the Season item only has eight stats lower than 90 anyway!
We could also see Icons included in this, with Ruud Gullit a prime candidate for the upgrade, with the Gullit Gang playing such a prominent role in FIFA over the years.
Then, if the Icons are involved, we can't leave out the FUT Heroes, and Yaya Toure would be another who could make the list!
Other all-rounders who would be candidates for 99-rated items are:
- Marcos Acuna
- Nicolo Barella
- Emre Can
- Joao Cancelo
- Steven Gerrard
- Leon Goretzka
- Marcos Llorente
- Claudio Marchisio
- Lothar Matthaus
- Merino
- Luka Modric
- Ji Sung Park
- Adrien Rabiot
- Renato Sanches
- James Tavernier
- Federico Valverde
- Patrick Vieira
- Zinedine Zidane