EA have announced the 19 brand new Heroes to be added to EA FC 24!
As we edge inexorably closer to the sweet release of FIFA's overbearing clutches, EA drip fed us the hype juice over 5 days releasing all 19 in batches. We are yet to see a retained hero list however!
This year of course will be the first year where we get Women Heroes in the game offering a whole new avenue for squad building and the potential of uncovering the next Al Owairan!
New UEFA Champions League and UEFA Womens Champions League FUT Heroes
This year all Heroes will be recognised for how they played both domestically and continentally. All Heroes will have their base version and a UCL and UWCL special Hero item with one of the most delicious card designs (that moves) even made!
The Champions League license was a huge part of the promotion event in Amsterdam a few weeks ago and I think we should gear up for more UCL content than ever before.
It also seems like EA are leaning very heavily into that Marvel style image on the cards. It's yet to be confirmed whether this will be the dynamic image, but all 19 announced Heroes have a superhero type nickname with the very stylised superhero dynamic image, much like the World Cup Heroes from last year! EA have confirmed that these UCL/UWCL UT Heroes will be higher rated compared to their base items.
Who are the 19 new EA FC 24 Ultimate Team Heroes?
All stats are predicted!
Hero Vincent Kompany - 89 Rated
Skill Moves - 2 Star
Weak Foot - 3 Star
One of the last great captains from the Keane, Vieira, Adams ilk, Vincent Kompany was the on pitch vanguard for the City march towards the top of the footballing world. His leadership, quality and personality meant even rival fans (like myself) revered him. Whilst the small club nature of the statues around the Etihad was easy to poke fun at, had it been just Vincent Kompany, I don't think anyone would have made a joke. A leader, a gentleman, a bloody good centre back and the scorer of one of the all time great Premier League goals, there's an argument to be made that Kompany has been done very dirty not being an icon.
Hero Steve McManaman - 89 Rated
Skill Moves - 4 Star
Weak Foot - 3 Star
It's difficult to explain to anyone under the age of 20 that Steve McManaman isn't just one of the worst co-commentators alive (one of, Jenas still comfortably holds top spot), he was actually a very good footballer too. One of the few overseas British success stories, Macca was a brilliant all round player. Predominantly played on the left of the midfield, he was able to fill in almost any position on the field and I believe his card should reflect this flexibility.
Hero Ramires - 87 Rated
Skill Moves - 3 Star
Weak Foot - 3 Star
This feels eminently kind to Ramires. Far more of a FIFA Hero than an IRL hero. Having said that he did put in some cracking performances in big games for Chelsea. Lost in the orgasmic cocophony of Neville and Torres, Ramires scores a delightful chip in that game against Barcelona in Chelsea's charge to the Champions League final. It is absolutely nailed on that this card will be ridiculously expensive. I was so tempted to give him 88 pace as, in my head, that is the only Pace rating he ever had. But as this is a higher rated card than he ever had, a small boost was required. Another God of EA Sports football games of the past is back!
Hero DaMarcus Beasley - 86 Rated
Skill Moves - 4 Star
Weak Foot - 3 Star
For those of you who have watched Ted Lasso, this guy is the epitome of Coach Beard's pre match info dump on Wolves, "Loooot o' pace" (and for those of you that haven't, watch it, you won't regret it). One of America's first quality footballing exports, Beasley played in the Champions League Semi Final with PSV in 2005, losing to AC Milan before that night in Turkey. Along with his pace, Beasley possessed a destructive ability to arrive at the right moments in the attack to play the killer ball or tuck away at the back stick. Unfortunately, injuries tended to always strike just as he was breaking into that top class of winger. Either way, this card should be a lot of fun and the special versions of his card have the potential to be the Al Owairan of EA FC 24.
Hero Dimitar Berbatov - 88 Rated
Skill Moves - 4 Star
Weak Foot - 4 Star
PlayStyles - Chip Shot, Flair, First Touch, Trivela, Acrobatic
I wanted to make Berba 5 star skill moves. But then he wouldn't be able to do his own skill move. One of the most glorious players to have graced a football pitch. From audacious chips, to inventing skill moves, to that overhead kick againt Liverpool, Berbatov was a delight to watch. Despite his size he glided over the pitch with velvet touch and a deadly finish. This card will not be popular amongst the pace merchants. But he should be techinically superb.
Hero Sonia Bompastor - 89 Rated
Skill Moves - 4 Star
Weak Foot - 4 Star
PlayStyles - Power Shot, Dead Ball, Whipped Pass, First Touch, Relentless
Women in Ultimate Team means a learning period for a lot of us that are at most casual followers of the Women's game. Sonia Bompastor is a name that I wasn't familiar with but her goal compilation is a hilariously good. Playing on the left of midfield, sometimes from Left Back, she is France's second top all time scorer. With a penchant for long range bangers and delightful free kicks this could genuinely be an insane card.
Hero Paulo Futre - 89 Rated
Skill Moves - 4 Star
Weak Foot - 5 Star
PlayStyles - First Touch, Flair, Trickster, Technical, Quick Step
(Insert "He's Back" meme) Back in the game after a 6 year absense, Paulo Futre has had a +2 rating boost from his old Legend card to this Hero card. An incredibly silky dribbler, he was always technically average in FIFA, a far cry from his real life performances. For a man with only 330 league games and some hilariously short and painful stints at clubs all over Europe, this does feel a kind rating. But it is difficult to argue with the levels he hit at Porto and Atletico Madrid.
Hero Jari Litmanen - 89 Rated
Skill Moves - 3 Star
Weak Foot - 4 Star
PlayStyles - Finesse Shot, Pinged Pass, Incisive Pass, First Touch
If this isnt the best dynamic image we've ever had, I have no idea what is. Litmanen is another Icon that is transitioning to a Hero, so now we can be dissappointed in a different way... He's never really been a go to card in FIFA, I'm almost positive I've never played against him. However depending on how they redo his stats and how the game plays, I would expect to see him a lot more next year base solely off the dynamic image. Litti scored 91 games in 159 appearances for Ajax in his first stint there and gained 137 caps for Finland. Here's hoping he has a card worthy of those records.
Hero Rui Costa - 89 Rated
Skill Moves - 4 Star
Weak Foot - 4 Star
PlayStyles - Dead Ball, Pinged Pass, Incisive Pass, First Touch, Flair
A card that has ranged from unplayable to absolute fodder as an Icon, Rui Costa is joining a select few that are being "downgraded" to Heroes. However, I really think this could be a new lease of life for this player. With Serie A links celebrating his career at Fiorentina and AC Milan, he will be a brilliant player for linking. Considering the quality of Serie A in the 90's, it is no mean feat that Rui Costa was named the top number 10 in Serie A on multiple occassions. Despite not being a prolific goal scorer, his playmaking ability was almost unrivaled. Another card that could benefit massively from the new precision passing mechanic.
Hero Nwankwo Kanu - 87 Rated
Skill Moves - 4 Star
Weak Foot - 4 Star
PlayStyles - Power Shot, First Touch, Flair, Trickster, Aerial, Finesse Shot
The Arsenal and Portsmouth legend, Nwankwo Kanu, is getting a Hero card for his time at Ajax! Scorer of some brilliant goals his card should be relatively affordable early on in the game cycle. However, one of the big factors in his price will be his height. Almost everywhere online has him as a towering 197cm behemoth, but I actually think he is closer to 190cm. Considering he was 6 years older than everyone though he was up until the age of 27/33, this isn't a surprise. With a glorious dynamic image, this will be a must for any Arsenal past and present team!
Hero Nadine Keßler - 90 Rated
Skill Moves - 4 Star
Weak Foot - 4 Star
PlayStyles - Finesse Shot, Pinged Pass, First Touch, Rapid
An absolute giant of German women's football, Nadine Keßler is getting a huge 90 rated hero card. The current Chief of Womens Football at UEFA, she had arguably the best year any female footballer has had. In 2013 Keßler won the Bundesliga, Pokal, Women's Champions League and the Euro's with Germany. This led her to win Best Women's player in Europe and FIFA World Player of the Year in 2014. She was also inducted in the UEFA Team of the Decade. Despite retiring at only 28 due to injury, she is considered one of the best attacking midfielders ever to have played. I'm expecting this card to be an absolute snorter too.
Hero Ludovic Giuly - 88 Rated
Skill Moves - 4 Star
Weak Foot - 3 Star
PlayStyles - Finesse Shot, Tiki Taka, First Touch, Rapid, Technical, Quick Step
His "played for" list is a who's who of continental European football. This card, given for his time at Barcelona, could be a deadly player along your front line. His highest rated FUT card was in FIFA 10 when he was at PSG, but that only had a 3 star weak foot which is why I've predicted that here. However if he is 4/4, expect to see this card a lot. At just 5'5", he was a rapid dribbler with a lethal finish. Pushed out of Barca by another diminuative winger from Argentina (I wonder what became of him), I would expect Giuly to have cards from La Liga, Ligue 1 and potentially Serie A by the time the year's up.
Hero Tomáš Rosický - 88 Rated
Skill Moves - 4 Star
Weak Foot - 5 Star
PlayStyles - Finesse Shot, Pinged Pass, Incisive Pass, First Touch, Technical, Trivela
One of the silkiest players to ever grace the Premier League and Bundesliga, "The Little Mozart" as he was dubbed in Germany has got an 88 rated Hero card in EA FC 24. With sublime touch, smooth dribbling and surgical passing, Rosicky will be an acquired taste in EA FC. Not the quickest player but with the new precision passing mechanic, I expect you could tear defences apart with this card. A player who had a penchant for a trivela, I would expect at least one version of Rosicky in the Premier League during the year.
John Arne Riise - 87 Rated
Skill Moves - 3 Star
Weak Foot - 3 Star
PlayStyles - Power Shot, Dead Ball, Whipped Pass, Relentless, Long Throw
RELEASE THE KRAKEN. The most feared left foot in football, if Riise doesn't have 99 shot power, someone at EA wants firing. I don't expect this card to be incredible but put him over any free kick and you could have a lot of fun indeed.
Hero Wesley Sneijder - 91 Rated
Skill Moves - 4 Star
Weak Foot - 5 Star
PlayStyles - Dead Ball, Power Shot, Incisive Pass, Press Proven, Technical
Nicknamed "Sureshot" by EA, this Dutch delight was one of the most delightful midfielders to grace European Football in the naughties. Playing for Ajax, Real Madird, Inter Milan and Galatasary, he was linked to Manchester United every summer for about a decade. With 4 major leagues to pick from, which league is chosen for each version could be massive but this version shown is a Serie A hero.
Hero Gianluca Vialli - 91 Rated
Skill Moves - 3 Star
Weak Foot - 5 Star
PlayStyles - Power Header, Flair, Pinged Pass, Acrobatic
Commonly talked about as one of the nicest blokes in football, Vialli sadly left us at the start of the year. A major element of Italy's backroom staff during their EURO 2020 win, Vialli was a brilliant striker during his playing years. Playing for Cremonese, Sampdoria, Juventus and Chelsea, he will be released as a Serie A Hero to begin with.
Hero Bixente Lizarazu - 90 Rated
Skill Moves - 3 Star
Weak Foot - 3 Star
PlayStyles - Whipped Pass, Rapid, Intercept, Jockey, Relentless
A scrabble winning name for a World Cup winning player. This diminuative left back had the definition of an engine and was one of the best left backs in world football. Starting his career at Bordeaux, and following a brief sojourn in Spain, he really excelled in Germany for Bayern Munich and as such, his first hero card will be a Bundesliga card.
Hero Carlos Tevez - 90 Rated
Skill Moves - 3 Star
Weak Foot - 4 Star
PlayStyles - Finesse Shot, Power Header, First Touch, Bruiser, Relentless
The bulldog like approach is back. A controversial player in many senses, you cannot deny he was one of the most effective strikers in the world. Part of Manchester United's dreamy front 3 of Ronaldo, Rooney and himself he then moved to Manchester City and dominated again. Pace will be all important with this card, anything above 85 and he is going to be very, very expensive.
Hero Alex Scott - 88 Rated
Skill Moves - 4 Star
Weak Foot - 3 Star
PlayStyles - Power Shot, Whipped Pass, Block, Jockey, Relentless
Alex Scott seems to be the poster girl Hero for EA FC 24. From presenting at the event to being the first Hero announced, she has been given an 88 rated card from the Womens Super League. Nicknamed "The Accomplished", she will be a formidable right back!
Hero Chemistry in EA FC 24
Unlike Icon chemistry, hero chemistry is staying exactly the same in EA FC 24. Every hero will give 2 chemistry segments to their respective league and 1 segment to their nation provided they are in either their main position or one of their prefered positions. The female Heroes will give league chemsitry to the Womens leagues but their nation chemistry will apply to all players.
Free UEFA Champions League or UEFA Womens Champions League FUT Hero
If you pre order the Ultimate Edition before August 22 you will be granted a "free" UCL or UWCL Hero on the 27th Novemeber when they are released. You’ll have to stump up £99.99 ($99.99) for the privilege, hence the quotation marks around free. You do also get 7 days early access and a plethora of other bonuses for pre ordering and buying the Ultimate Edition. You can find all the details for that here!
Thank you for reading, and keep your eyes on fut.gg for more EA FC 24 news!