Bale, Lingard, Son and Zaha have all been patched – here's how they look now with the updated FIFA 19 player faces
It goes without saying that - although some are impressive - a lot of the FIFA 19 player faces could do with some work. It was much worse at the start of the game though, because since then EA Sports has updated a number of players in FIFA 19 to be more like the real person. Jesse Lingard and Wilfried Zaha are two examples of top flight players that really looked nothing like the player they were supposed to be based on.
Mine too please while I’m here thank you 😅 @EASPORTSFIFA https://t. co/b0Im81uWowAugust 14, 2018
That top-flight twosome covers a tiny part of the updated FIFA 19 player faces catalogue. In all 69 players have been updated so far, the most recent being Jadon Sancho of Borussia Dortmund. (The England international also tops the FIFA 19 winter upgrades list.) Promoted sides Wolves, Cardiff and Fulham all get comprehensive makeovers as part of the EA’s Premier League license, too.
Below you’ll see the 12 best new FIFA 19 player faces, followed by a full list of all refreshed players. Should any further updates occur before season's end, we'll of course update this list once again.
Premier League fans love to hate the Palace man, or at least pretend to – I’d say more than 40% of teams I meet online have the silky-skilled Ivorian deployed up front. Whatever your feelings on the Eagles’ talisman, there can be no doubt over this new likeness. With hairstyle spot-on and neck tattoos updated, it’s one of the best FIFA player faces we have ever seen.
Hardly a drastic overhaul for the flying Welshman, but still a pleasing one – his facial hair has had a trim, his cheekbones have been accentuated, and the loose locks around that famous manbun made even messier. This is the sort of incremental update you’d hope all major players would have annually – start a game with Arsenal and check out Hector Bellerin to see why.
The Korean forward’s update is similar to Bale’s: a haircut and some work on his top lip bum-fluff, rather than a full overhaul. With Serge Aurier and Davison Sanchez added over the summer, the entire Spurs first-team squad now has realistic likenesses – and you can play at their new stadium before it’s even opened in real life, as explained in our FIFA 19 stadiums guide.
Zaha may split opinion among the global footballing fanbase, but he has a long way to go to catch the sport’s ultimate pantomime villain. EA’s new Costa likeness gives off the aura of a WWE heel, with his menacing stare and eight-days-unshaven facial foliage captured impeccably. Dab after scoring with this dude in Divisional Rivals to trigger peak FIFA rage.
Don’t be surprised if you come up against Odoi online this season. While he’s only scored 69 overall, a pace rating of 82 makes him tempting for teams who play three at the back, where his speed can cover for other deficiencies. I plan to experiment with him in my Premier League ‘fitness’ team for that very reason. Okay, that and a goatee realistic enough to stroke through the TV screen.
Fulham initially received more updated player faces than any other club: 13 in total, including the previously mentioned Odoi, and Steven Sessegnon, twin brother of 2017/18 hero Ryan Sessegnon. Which was especially curious as the latter didn't get a scanned face in the initial November update, despite being widely considered the West London side’s best player. However…
There he is! Curiously, Fulham fans were made to wait an extra couple of weeks for the more famous Sessegnon to receive an official likeness, but it finally dropped at November's end – as we reported at the time. He formed part of a second batch of Cottagers that also included Tim Ream, Cyrus Christie, and Aboubakar Kamara – who's since departed the club for a loan spell at Turkish side Yeni Malatyaspor.
Sporting a haircut that you’d describe as ‘sharp’ in every possible sense, Etheridge instantly became one of FIFA 19’s best-looking goalkeepers – just be warned that his virtual abilities aren’t quite so flattering. Also new from Cardiff in the first update were Joe Bennett, Kadeem Harris, Sean Morrison, Josh Murphy, Callum Peterson, Joe Ralls, and Bobby Reid, with seven more players added a fortnight later.
Wolves’ summer signing showcases the power of the Premier League within FIFA. Throughout his five-year stint at Monaco – one of the world’s biggest clubs – fans clamoured for the Portuguese midfielder to be scanned, to no avail. Yet within four months of crossing the Channel to sign for Wolves his real face is in. Great news for West Midlanders, but you can see why Ligue 1 fans feel spurned.
Lingard’s lobbying of EA, which began following the release of the FIFA 18 World Cup faces update, finally had the desired effect. His new scan has a squarer jawline than last year’s, with more bouffant hair to match his real-life ‘do. United fans get two for the price of one here, with young striker Joshua Bohui also added for the first time.
It’s not the Frenchman’s robust defensive qualities which make him stand out among the 69 players below – but a human-beacon hairstyle visible from the Eiffel Tower. Kimpembe’s blonde barnet turns him into the leading light on any Ultimate Team roster, and he’s a solid foundation for your Ligue 1, or all-French, side.
The second November update placed a big emphasis on the Premier League, with promoted clubs having been scanned throughout the summer of 2018. But some European favourites nabbed new FIFA 19 player faces too. Inter forward Icardi's updated likeness delighted fans, as did those of Daniele Rugani (Juventus), Ever Banega (Sevilla) and Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid).
- Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid) Leon Balogun (Brighton & Hove Albion) Junior Fernandes (Brighton & Hove Albion) Mathias Normann (Brighton & Hove Albion) Joe Bennett (Cardiff City) Neil Etheridge (Cardiff City) Kadeem Harris (Cardiff City) Sean Morrison (Cardiff City) Josh Murphy (Cardiff City) Callum Paterson (Cardiff City) Joe Ralls (Cardiff City) Bobby Reid (Cardiff City) Daniel Arzani (Celtic) Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace) Floyd Ayite (Fulham) Marcus Bettinelli (Fulham) Joe Bryan (Fulham) Tom Cairney (Fulham) Ibrahima Cisse (Fulham) Fabricio (Fulham) Stefan Johansen (Fulham) Neeskens Kebano (Fulham) Maxime Le Marchand (Fulham) Kevin McDonald (Fulham) Dennis Odoi (Fulham) Jean Michael Seri (Fulham) Steven Sessegnon (Fulham) Joshua Bohui (Manchester United) Jesse Lingard (Manchester United) Morgan Sanson (Marseille) Danny Batth (Middlesbrough) Yoshinori Muto (Newcastle United) Presnel Kimpembe (Paris St Germain) Enzo Fernandez (Rayo Majadahonda) Gareth Bale (Real Madrid) Stefan Sturaro (Sporting Lisbon) Son Heung-Min (Tottenham Hotspur) Marc Navarro (Watford) Benny Ashley-Seal (Wolverhampton Wanderers) Willy Boly (Wolverhampton Wanderers) Leonardo Bonatini (Wolverhampton Wanderers) Conor Coady (Wolverhampton Wanderers) Ivan Cavaliero (Wolverhampton Wanderers) Diogo Jota (Wolverhampton Wanderers) Ruben Neves (Wolverhampton Wanderers) Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers) Joao Moutinho (Wolverhampton Wanderers) Roman Saiss (Wolverhampton Wanderers) Helder Costa (Wolverhampton Wanderers) Morgan Gibbs-White (Wolverhampton Wanderers) Kortney Hause (Wolverhampton Wanderers) Neil Warnock (Cardiff City) Slavisa Jokanovic (free agent) Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid) Souleymane Bamba (Cardiff City) Greg Cunningham (Cardiff City) Bruno Ecuele Manga (Cardiff City) Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (Cardiff City) Alex Smithies (Cardiff City) Danny Ward (Cardiff City) Kenneth Zohore (Cardiff City) Cyrus Christie (Fulham) Aboubakar Kamara (Fulham) Tim Ream (Fulham) Ryan Sessegnon (Fulham) Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan) Daniele Rugani (Juventus) Ever Banega (Sevilla) Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund)
FIFA 19 is out now. More worried with how your favourites play than what they look like? Then you need GR’s guide to the 10 players with the highest FIFA 19 ratings.
Fulham initially received more updated player faces than any other club: 13 in total, including the previously mentioned Odoi, and Steven Sessegnon, twin brother of 2017/18 hero Ryan Sessegnon. Which was especially curious as the latter didn't get a scanned face in the initial November update, despite being widely considered the West London side’s best player. However… Hardly a drastic overhaul for the flying Welshman, but still a pleasing one – his facial hair has had a trim, his cheekbones have been accentuated, and the loose locks around that famous manbun made even messier. This is the sort of incremental update you’d hope all major players would have annually – start a game with Arsenal and check out Hector Bellerin to see why. Регулярные публикации новостей об игре.
