Summary
- Beginning Friday, legendary soccer star Diego Maradona will make his long-awaited return to EA’s EA Sports FC franchise.
- The Argentinian superstar was previously “suspended” from appearing in EA’s game series due to an ongoing legal dispute over his image rights.
- Originally, Maradona first appeared in the 2018 edition of the game before being removed in 2022, making his return a huge affair.
After three years of sitting on the sidelines, legendary Argentinian soccer star Diego Maradona will make his return to EA’s EA Sports FC series. The announcement, which was made on Monday, will see Maradona, a one-time FIFA World Cup winner, return to the franchise beginning on February 14.
The superstar first joined the EA Sports-helmed soccer game beginning with its 2018 edition, when it was still partnered with FIFA. From there, Maradona served as a permanent fixture of the annual game, including multiple Ultimate Team cards in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, before he was unceremoniously removed from the game following a legal dispute.
As of this writing, it’s unclear just how Maradona will be re-introduced into the game, though it seems like a safe bet that fans will be able to pack him in Ultimate Team.
Related
Merry Christmas All The People Who Don’t Quit In EA FC
EA Sports, or FIFA, is only as fun as you make it.
Why Was Maradona Removed In The First Place?
Back in 2022, EA Sports fans were greeted with a message at the startup screen, noting in part that “Due to a third party legal dispute, we must suspend Diego Maradona from appearing in FIFA Ultimate Team Packs, Ultimate Draft and the Soccer Aid World XI team.”
“We share our fans’ disappointment and hope to bring one of football’s greatest icons back in the game at some point in the future,” the statement concluded.
As it turns out, there was a legal dispute over who exactly owned the rights to Maradona’s likeness. At the time, an Argentinian court ruled that EA had seemingly negotiated with the wrong party, forcing the video game publisher to remove the icon from the game until it could be figured out who exactly should be negotiated with.
Per a 2021 article from an Argentinian news agency, EA had negotiated with Maradona’s former manager, Stefano Ceci, who actually had no rights to strike any such deals. Concurrently, his lawyer, Matias Morla, said that Maradona had left him his rights prior to his death, though Maradona’s family disputed that claim.
In short, his rights have been seemingly in flux for the past several years. Now, it appears that any confusion has been sorted out, and as a result, Maradona will once again take his place among the many legends and current stars in EA’s game.
Next
Rocksteady Deserves Better Than A New Batman Game
After a decade, Rocksteady is reportedly returning to Batman.