At the recently concluded FIFA eWorld Cup in London, Saudi Arabia’s Mosaad ‘MSDossary’ Aldossary took home the grand prize of $250,000. His winning team unsurprisingly consisted of 4 Prime Icons which included Rio Ferdinand, Thierry Henry, Ronaldo Nazario and Ruud Gullit.

Formerly known as ‘Legends’, Icons were released exclusively for the Xbox way back in FIFA14.They are the rarest of all the cards available in FIFA Ultimate Team and often the most coveted. FIFA 18 introduced us to a tiered system, where each Icon got 3 different cards, signifying different periods of their respective careers

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In FIFA18 gamers had access to 120 different Icon cards and if reports are to be believed, FIFA19 might include 200+ Icon Cards, 3 versions of 69 different exceptional footballers-

Icons to look out for-

Icons dominated the competitive scene this year owing to their unique animations and their incredible stats. Most commonly used amongst FIFA18 Icons were midfield tyrant Patrick Vieira usually in tandem with the all-round attacking midfielder Ruud Gullit, the clinical Ronaldo Nazario, and the ever reliable duo of Paolo Maldini & Rio Ferdinand.

The trend is set to continue in FIFA19 with all of these icons making a return. EA have already confirmed close to a dozen new Prime Icons which include notable names such as 3-time Ballon d’Or winner Johan Cruyff, the Black Panther Eusébio and the great English midfielders Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.

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Midfielders

Scholes, Lampard or Gerrard? EA might have an answer…

It looks like EA have taken matters into their own hands to settle this eternal debate. While Prime Frank Lampard is 90 rated, his former national teammate and current Rangers manager, Steven Gerrard has been given better stats in almost every department and is rated 91.

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The rating and stats of former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes, is yet to be officially announced by EA, but some sources suggest he could be 91 rated, putting him at par with his former Three Lions teammate Steven Gerrard. Following is a mockup of what his card could look like-

Need a competent CDM to fill the ‘Makélélé Role’? Why settle for 2nd best?

EA also announced Prime Claude Makélélé much to the delight of the fanbase. This year we could witness an impenetrable duo of French midfield-destroyers in the form of Vieira and Makélélé.

When someone has a role named after them in football, rest assured he will be regarded as an icon. He redefined the deep lying defensive role at Chelsea, and that role is now commonly referred to as the Makelele role.

If you’re on a tight budget at the start of the game, the other French CDMs in Kante and Bakayoko might be an option as well.

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Fancy yourself as a long shot merchant? EA’s got your back

EA have given us two great French CDMs that we would dread facing, but luckily they’ve also released a CAM to face them, Prime Clarence Seedorf. Known for his great strength and immense passing and shooting ability, you shouldn’t be surprised if he has 90+ long shots and shot power.

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Paired alongside his countryman Ruud Gullit, they would make the perfect pair to take on the French defensive duo.

Some Italian seasoning to spice up your attack

Cristiano Ronaldo made waves this transfer season when he moved to Turin based Italian giants Juventus. Fans will be expecting a super season and a reason to cheer especially after Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup.

FIFA18 had 2 Italian attackers in the form of Alessandro Del Piero and Filippo Inzaghi. Come FIFA 19 they will have another partner in crime terrorizing opposition defenses-Prime Roberto Baggio.

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Forwards

The sole aim of any game of football is to score more goals than your opponent. World class forwards make scoring goals look easy,but if you have a hard time breaking down opponent defences, maybe an Icon or two would help.

Icon attackers are often the most expensive amongst all icons owing to their ability to turn a game over on its head.FIFA19 will give you control over some of the most exceptional strikers and wingers in the history of the game.

El Ferrari will put you in the driver seat

Amongst these phenomenal players, Spanish forward Raúl is sure to be a fan favorite. 2nd highest scorer(only to Cristiano Ronaldo, mind you) for one of the world’s biggest teams, Real Madrid, El Ferrari as he was known will surely make a great addition to your team. Left footed with a great finish on him and extremely creative as well, one would expect him to excel in a CF or False-9 role.

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Another great Spanish Real Madrid forward Emilio Butragueño might be joining him. However this is only speculations as EA have yet to officially announce Butragueño.

He changed the game, now he’s in the game.

We’ve spoken about great Real Madrid players and so we must not forget to include great Barcelona players. Regardless of your where your allegiance lies in the great rivalry of El Clásico, one thing can be said for sure – both teams have had a plethora of exceptional talents plying their trade for them.

Amongst these great players, one in particular stands out- the late great Johan Cruyff. The 3 time Ballon d’Or winner was the pioneer of Total Football, a football philosophy that saw the Dutch become a powerhouse in football. Widely regarded as the greatest player to ever kick a ball, some FIFA players were disappointed that he received a ‘low’ rating of 94. It is just testament to his ability that a rating 94 is considered too low for him. Expect him to have 5* skills and unique animations along with silky smooth dribbling and passing.

Another Barcelona great and Ballon d’Or winner Brazilian forward Rivaldo was also recently announced by EA. He has tremendous stats and will surely be a menace to play against.

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The Black Panther on the prowl for goals

When someone has more goals than games you know they’re the real deal. Eusebio was a Portuguese footballer who helped SL Benfica to 11 league titles.

Apart from his godly stats there is one thing that sets him apart from all the icons mentioned before,he links to Cristiano Ronaldo. this means it would be no surprise if this year we saw a lot of Eusebio in the competitive scene.

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Defenders

No team is complete without a warrior

The Serie A and Italian football as a whole is known for their defensive style of play. This philosophy has also been adopted by Italy’s national team. Italian football in the 2000s had some of the most talented attackers in world football, amongst these were Crespo, Inzaghi and Alessandro Del Piero who have already been immortalized as Icons in the current edition of FIFA.

Joining their ranks this year is one of the most formidable adversaries they must have faced during their career- Italian centre-back Fabio Cannavaro. One of only 3 defenders ever to win a Ballon D’or Cannavaro was known for his never-say-die spirit and hard hitting tackles, one should expect no less than 90 aggression on this fantastic card. Paired with national teammate Paolo Maldini, the defenders will be hard to get past,even for Icon attackers.

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Notable Inclusions

Alas,we will have to wait for at least a month before EA release their official list of Prime Icons along with their stats and until then we can only speculate.

There have been a lot of rumors surrounding the new icons in FIFA19, if there is indeed any weight to it we may be in for a cracking year. Nostalgia will reign supreme when gamers take control of their childhood heroes like Scholes, Pavel Nedved,Klose, Baresi and Trezeguet.

There will certainly be some names that the younger generation of football might not recognize, like Lev Yashin last FIFA.Players like Socrates,Johan Cruyff, George Best who have been immortalized in history might become available to the FIFA faithful.

However, one thing is for sure, these iconic players won’t be cheap at all. You would have to be extremely lucky to pack one of these in FUT or have a boatload of coins.

That being said, FUTMillionaire is here to make your life easier with AutoBidder and AutoBuyer that will allow you to relive your childhood and obtain the FUT team of your dreams and immerse yourself in nostalgia.

We sure are looking forward to using some of these icons, we hope you are as well.