Some Arsenal fans got their first glimpse of FIFA 23 today, but the appearance of manager Mikel Arteta must have left one sour.
EA’s latest offering in their hit video game franchise prides itself on its realism, but sadly not in this case.
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Arteta won’t applaud FIFA 23 devs
EA Sports’ partnership with Liverpool and Manchester City has made their top stars Virgil van Dijk and Kevin De Bruyne look more realistic than ever.
However, Arsenal are one of the main clubs in Konami’s rival FIFA series “eFootball” – formerly Pro Evolution Soccer.
And it looks like their players are paying the price, with a number of them, from Emile Smith Rowe to Ben White, not receiving face scans for FIFA 23 and therefore looking rather questionable.
Arteta, however, suffered the harshest treatment of all – the Spaniard’s virtual self bearing little resemblance to the real thing.
The 40-year-old’s FIFA 23 avatar has been given much thicker facial hair with everything from facial structure to inaccurate posture.
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Arteta himself couldn’t tell it’s him
first amazon
Maybe Arteta’s FIFA 23 avatar was another one of his works of art…
Footage of Arteta on the game has been circulating online, with many fans in disbelief at the former midfielder’s appearance.
One fan wrote: “They made dirty arteta, it’s not possible.”
Others have referenced several of Arteta’s infamous pre-match speeches which aired on Arsenal’s All or Nothing series earlier this year.
A third added: “Arteta looks like Michael from GTA.”
*the team sits down for a team chat on Saturday. Arteta turns on the TV screen*
“Look what they did to us, guys. No respect.” https://t.co/rdG3c5QhaA
— Poorly Drawn Arsenal (@cantdrawarsenal) September 27, 2022
When I don’t get my face scanned I get upset
—Nathan (@OGNathan23) September 27, 2022
FIFA’s failure to replicate Arteta’s face from scratch is all the more puzzling given that he underwent a face scan during his last in-game appearance as a player on FIFA 16.
Arsenal fans will also likely be ticked off that EA prioritized bringing fictional manager Ted Lasso into the game before fixing Arteta.
AFC Richmond manager Lasso will be able to be used as a manager in career mode in addition to getting his own Ultimate Team item.
He may be a fictional character, but he’s actually inspired those who actually sit at the top of football – ironically including Arteta, who said he was inspired by the coach’s positive attitudes.
