Is Diego Maradona coming to FC 25? Rumours explained
Rumours, leaks, legal disputes and potentially the return of one of greatest footballers to walk the earth.
When it comes to the truly world-class greats of football, there are only a few. Lionel Messi. Pele. And, of course, the Argentinian playmaker Diego Maradona.
Now, following years of absence from the FIFA video game series, rumours are suggesting a return might be on the cards in EA Sports FC.
After a lifetime of football achievements that included a World Cup win, multiple Series A titles, world-record transfer fees and some of the best goals to ever be scored on a football pitch, Maradona sadly passed away at the age of 60 in 2020.
Known as El Pibe de Oro ('The Golden Boy') throughout his career, his popularity and legend have long continued.
With EA Sports FC remaining the de facto way to play as your favourite players, many fans around the globe are hoping that Maradona will return to the football simulator so they can reenact many of the legend's most notable moments throughout the years.
Well, after years of silence, rumours have now started to circulate and suggest it could happen.
Is Diego Maradona coming to FC 25? Rumours explained
EA has not officially confirmed that Diego Maradona will be added to EA Sports FC 25, at the time of writing. However, several rumours have suggested an announcement could be on the way.
The most prominent rumour is from FC 25 known leaker DonkTrading (via X), who stated that Maradona will arrive with a 97 rating. Whether this will be in Ultimate Team or the general game as a whole is unclear.
Some fans are speculating that El Diego will be introduced alongside the recently leaked Grassroots Greats promotional event (first rumoured by FutSherrif).
EA removed Maradona from FIFA 22 due to a legal dispute in March 2022 surrounding his image rights. As a result, three cards featuring the Argentinian great were withdrawn from the game.
"Due to a third-party legal dispute, we must suspend Diego Maradona from appearing in FIFA Ultimate Team Packs, future FUT content and the Soccer Aid World XI in EA Sports FIFA 22," a statement from EA read in March 2022.
"As such, Diego Maradona Icon Items will no longer be made available in Packs, SBCs and FUT Draft.
"We have always included Maradona’s likeness and image under valid license agreements, first with Mr Maradona himself and later with the company entitled to license Maradona’s image rights worldwide."
It's now believed that the legal dispute has come to an end.
Naturally, this doesn't mean an announcement is imminent, and it's very possible that EA will wait for the next FC iteration to bring in Maradona – if the player is included at all. As always, time will only tell.
EA Sports FC 25 is available across PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows.
Read more on FC 25:
- FC 25 release date - pre-orders & latest news
- FC 25 ratings - when will they be confirmed?
- FC 25 Career Mode - best new features
- FC 25 pre-orders - all bonuses confirmed
- FC 25 closed beta - how to get codes
- FC 25 new features - 25 major changes
- FC 25 Ultimate Team - confirmed FUT changes
- FC 25 Pro Clubs - changes explained
- FC 25 professional fouls - controversial feature explained
- FC 25 cover - box art revealed
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Authors
Matt Poskitt is a freelance journalist who specialises in arts and culture – be that movies, TV, video games, tech or otherwise. Matt headed up the games and entertainment section at T3 (Future Publishing), alongside being found across The Guardian, CNET, PC Gamer Mag, GamesIndustry.biz, Insider, iNews, IGN, TechRadar, PC Gamer Mag, NME and many more.