FIFA 23 has been well and truly taken over by the 2022 Qatar World Cup, with EA dropping daily nation-themed content in Ultimate Team.
The World Cup Phenoms campaign is set to kick off soon and as usual, pretty much every single promo player has been leaked ahead of release.
However, one player does not quite fit the description for the promotional event...
The future is now
The World Cup Phenoms event is aimed exclusively at players under the age of 24 years old.
The youngsters selected will be players who have played key roles for their countries at the Qatar 2022 World Cup already this winter.
The top-performing U24 players at the World Cup will be given significant one-time upgrades and a snazzy light-blue Phenoms card.
For example, 21-year-old Bukayo Saka, who is leaked to gain a Phenoms item, could be handed a +6 OVR boost and boast stats similar to that of the card you can see above.
Argentinian anomaly
The likes of 19-year-old Jude Bellingham, 23-year-old Rafael Leao, 24-year-old Eder Militao and 20-year-old Eduardo Camavinga will reportedly be included in the World Cup Phenoms squad.
In and amongst the leaks is Argentinian striker, Lautaro Martinez.
However, in what can only be described as yet another EA error, the Inter Milan forward turned 25 years old back in August.
The leaks are usually spot on, so we can only assume that either somebody at EA can't count or they simply had not realised that the player had enjoyed his 25th birthday since the release of FIFA 23.
On top of the fact that he is too old to be involved in the promo, to say that the Serie A striker has been poor for his nation at the World Cup would be an understatement.
Despite being given several clear-cut chances by teammates Lionel Messi and Co, Lautaro Martinez has failed to score a single goal in Qatar.
Argentina's international manager, Lionel Scaloni, even dropped Martinez for Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez for their Round of 16 tie against Australia.
Silver linings
Nevertheless, every cloud has a silver lining and a boosted Lautaro Martinez card could be absolutely brilliant in FUT 23.
We expect the centre-forward to be handed an 89 OVR World Cup Phenoms item that will no doubt be one of the game's top-tier forward options.
The 25-year-old will possess fantastic pace, dribbling, shooting and physicality along with four-star skill moves and a four-star weak foot.
Of course, there's always a chance that EA recognises the error and replaces Martinez with a U24 player, which would be a real shame to count out one of the best cards in the promo squad.
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