EA Sports FC 24 will include some new Heroes in Ultimate Team - with legends from both the men's and women's games set to receive stellar cards in Ultimate Team.
Heroes cards have been an enormous success in FUT since their addition in FIFA 22. They offer an alternative to Icon cards when it comes to using real-life footballing legends in the game. The Hero cards available in FC 24 will be UEFA Champions League-themed items for the first time.
Hero cards are beneficial assets when it comes to constructing Ultimate Team squads - they always receive full chemistry as long as they are deployed in the correct position. Heroes also provide strong chemistry links to players of the same nation and league, which is especially helpful following the new system that was implemented in FIFA 23.
The concept of Heroes cards is that players who experienced great peaks during their careers could be awarded top cards in-game. Some players perhaps lacked the required longevity during their careers to earn an Icon card, and a Hero card is a perfect consolation.
For example, Jerzy Dudek produced arguably the greatest-ever goalkeeping performance in a UEFA Champions League final. He did not sustain that level over his career, but he was certainly a Hero in his own right, and a place in the Ultimate Team Hero ranks honours that perfectly.
The new cards being added in FC 24 include former Ballon d'Or contenders, defensive powerhouses and legendary forwards.
Here we will look at each of the cards that will be added, as well as a look at their career to understand how they earned their place in EA Sports FC's Heroes lineup.
1 Wesley Sneijder
Ultimate Team fans have longed for a Wesley Sneijder card ever since he retired in 2019. The Dutch playmaker had some excellent cards in the early days of FUT, and in FC 24 he will finally be honoured with a place in the Heroes ranks for the new game.
At the peak of his abilities, Sneijder was undoubtedly one of the best midfielders in the world - in a generation that Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez played football. Sneijder was elite for multiple clubs as well as his nation and was even a genuine Ballon d'Or competitor in 2010.
That year was the highlight of his career, he helped lead his club Inter Milan to a famous treble victory, as well as being a key part of the Netherlands team that made the FIFA World Cup final.
Sneijder famously scored a brace against Brazil in the World Cup quarter-final, before again netting in the semi-final against Uruguay. The playmaker's efforts proved to be decisive as the Netherlands won the game 3-2 to advance to the final.
While Sneijder was an unbelievable player in his prime, his decline was rapid. Within two years of winning the treble with Inter he was playing in the Turkish Super Lig, where he won titles with Galatasaray but was no longer at the top of his game.
A Hero card is perfectly suited for the iconic former Dutch star. He will be 91 rated, and you can expect his card to have dribbling and passing stats in the 90s, with a shooting and pace stat in the mid-80s to round out what should be an excellent card in FC 24.
2 Gianluca Vialli
Gianluca Vialli is a player that might not be well known by the Ultimate Team community. He was a legendary frontman in Italian football, and he also had a successful stint at Chelsea in the late 1990s, which was followed by a managerial role at the London club.
Vialli was a complete forward, that was capable of playing on the shoulder of defences, or operating as an outlet and bringing others into play. He was quick, physical and agile, which should make him an excellent fit for the match engine in FC 24.
Vialli won multiple Serie A titles and Coppa Italia trophies during his time with Sampdoria and Juventus. He also impressed at the international level - he was named in the UEFA Team of the Tournament at the European Championships of 1988.
The Italian legend could provide an excellent addition to the Heroes roster for FC 24. He could be a powerful forward in the mould of fellow Hero card Rudi Voller - high pace and shooting attributes with a strong strength stat. But potentially superior dribbling skills and ball control could make him more favourable than the German on the ball.
He could be an excellent alternative to fellow Italian Antonio Di Natale, for anyone who favours a more physical option, over a low centre of gravity attacker.
Vialli like Sneijder will also be 91-rated and should be one of the standout players from the range of fresh Heroes that will be introduced in FC 24.
3 Bixente Lizarazu
Bixente Lizarazu is a legend of French and German football. He spent the start of his career with Bordeaux, where he helped the club of his youth days reach Ligue 1 in the 1991/92 season. He enjoyed a short stint at Athletic Bilbao afterwards, but in truth, his career truly took off in Germany.
In two spells with Bayern Munich, he won six Bundesliga titles, five DFB Pokal honours and even a UCL trophy in 2001. Lizarazu became well-known for being a solid defensive fullback in Germany, as well as an offensive presence on the left flank during counter-attacks.
He was also a part of the golden French generation that won the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championships in 2000.
The left-back featured in the UEFA TOTY as well as the FIFA XI during his career, and he was certainly one of the leading left-sided defenders of his time.
In Ultimate Team, Lizarazu could provide to the Bundesliga, what Joan Capdevila has given to La Liga in the past couple of years - a meta fullback that can excel at both ends of the pitch, and also help greatly when it comes to chemistry links.
Lizarazu could maybe be even better than the Spaniard based on his confirmed 90 overall rating.
4 Carlos Tevez
The legendary Argentinian that once crossed the Manchester footballing divide will feature in FC 24.
Carlos Tevez was a pacey, agile forward, that also had a strong level of physicality to his game.
Aside from his exceptional technical ability - a skilled dribbler in tight spaces that often left defenders for dead -, Tevez was also an exceptionally hard worker. He should have high stamina and aggression in FC 24 meaning he can help your team to press the opposition high up the pitch.
Tevez won multiple Premier League titles with Manchester United, before joining rivals Manchester City, whom he helped to win the league title in the 2011/12 season.
The Argentine also won the greatest club prize the UCL with the Red Devils under Sir Alex Ferguson in 2007/08 as they defeated Chelsea via a penalty shootout.
The forward's time in England was followed by a successful couple of years in Turin with Juventus. Tevez won two straight titles while playing for the Old Lady.
Tevez also won individual awards everywhere he went throughout his career. From Premier League golden boots to Serie A Footballer of the Year, his footballing brilliance was widely acknowledged during his playing days.
The three-time Premier League champion will be 90-rated in FC 24 and should receive a card that will perform excellently in-game. With high pace, dribbling, shooting and physicality - Tevez should be an extremely meta-forward option in the new release.
5 Alex Scott
The first women's Hero card that will feature in FC 24 has been announced. Arsenal legend Alex Scott will head the range of Heroes from the women's side of the game in the upcoming title.
Scott is seen as one of the leading right-backs in the history of women's football. She was hugely successful in her numerous stints with Arsenal Women.
The former English international won five FA Women's Premier League titles, as well as a Women's Super League in 2012 following the rebrand of the top-flight English league.
The highlight of her career was when she scored the winning goal for Arsenal to win the UEFA Women's Champions League in the 2006/07 season. Arsenal completed a famous quadruple win that season, and Scott was comfortably one of the most influential players in their success.
It is unclear how women's players will fit into FC 24 according to the meta. Scott is short at 5'4, but will surely be extremely nimble and defensively solid in-game.
Her 88 rating should mean that she has a high defensive stat, which could help her to deal with the most physical of attackers in FC 24 Ultimate Team.
Scott will also be hugely beneficial to players looking to easily link WSL players in Ultimate Team once the new game drops.