FIFA 23 Icons: Premier League legend DOWNGRADED to FUT Hero

FIFA 23 is drawing closer, and the news and rumours surrounding the upcoming game just keep coming.

The latest unofficial announcement says that current Icon Jay-Jay Okocha is set to be downgraded to a FUT Hero in the next game.

Find out more about the change and what it could mean for FIFA 23 Ultimate Team below.

Switch It Up

Prolific leaker FUT Sheriff announced that Jay-Jay Okocha is now listed as a FUT Hero in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team.

The way he has announced it and the reaction from other leakers suggest that he isn't the only Icon that may get this fate.

A Change in Power

We're not sure if the stats given to the FUT Hero Okocha are official, but Sheriff is showing his new version to have virtually the same base attributes as his 90 OVR Prime Icon (apart from slightly increased physicality) but on an 88 OVR Heroes card.

This could show that EA is addressing the power curve change that has seen lower-end Icons rendered unusable.

As pointed out by Donk on Twitter, changing it so Icons are predominantly only the higher-rated players in the game should make them a bit more special again, something that hasn't always been the case in recent years.

However, with the growing number of promo players, this still could be hard to keep on top of in FIFA 23.

Prem Chem

Another reason for this leaked change could be to do with the revamped chemistry system in Ultimate Team that we are waiting to hear about.

If the new system changes the way Icon cards link then someone like Okocha, who has a Nigerian nationality, may find it hard to provide strong links in the side.

By making him a FUT Heroes card, presumably from the Premier League, maybe he will be more useful for squad building and will therefore see more play in FIFA 23?

FUT Heroes

FUT Heroes were new items in FIFA 22 that represent the unforgettable moments that turned the individual players into fan favourites.

The FIFA community view FUT Heroes as one level below an ICON in Ultimate Team.

FUT Heroes have league-specific chemistry which is tied to their specific hero moment, providing a green Club link to any player within the same league, as well as the usual nation link.

Throughout the FUT 22 season, we saw the FUT Heroes gain upgrades in the FUT Captains and Shapeshifters promos, to keep them in line with the increased power curve of the game.