The new FIFA is just around the corner. It is the time of year where you wave goodbye to your girlfriend, coursework and social life to indulge yourself within the beautiful game. However, there is a new exciting addition this year - the introduction of icon cards.
As FIFA is generally played by the younger generation, some icon cards have left people scratching their heads wondering 'who the h*ll is that guy?'. No need to worry, BlI am here to help, as we walk through three legendary players who have been included in this game.
Lev Yashin
No, this isn't the name of a typical Bond villain, this is possibly one of the greatest goalkeepers that has ever lived.
Yashin was born in October 1929 and was commonly known by his opponents as the 'Black Panther', predominantly for his cat-like reflexes and impressive acrobatic ability.
Lev is considered to be a Dynamo Moscow legend, appearing over 300 times for the Russian club. Furthermore, he made 76 appearances for the Soviet Union, representing the nation in international tournaments and the Olympic games where he achieved a gold medal in 1956.
Interestingly, Yashin saved 150 penalties and kept over 270 clean sheets in his entire career, which is yet to be beaten by any goalkeeper since. In addition to this, Yashin managed to put his talents into other sports, acting as a goalkeeper for the international ice hockey team.
The Russian goalkeeper is also the only goalkeeper to ever win the prestigious Ballon D'or award and was inducted into the team of the century in 1998, accompanied by the likes of Johan Cruyff, Pele, Puskas and Bobby Moore.
Michael Owen
Yes, everybody knows who Michael Owen is, however, he isn't just an Englishman providing questionable punditry on BT Sport.
He was actually a very talented footballer during his prime.
Owen exploded onto the Premier League scene where he scored for his boyhood club Liverpool on his professional debut in May 1997. The following season he finished joint top goal-scorer of the Premier League with 18 strikes, at this point he was still a teenager.
Following this success, Owen was called up to the England team where, on his debut he became the youngest ever debutant and goal-scorer for the Three Lions at the time, which has since been beaten by Theo Walcott.
The English striker stayed in Merseyside for eight years scoring over 100 goals for the Reds, whilst also winning the Ballon d'Or during this time.
He later made an unsuccessful move to Real Madrid in 2005, where he lasted one season. Then later returning to England to Newcastle United where he began to wind down his career which unfortunately ended prematurely due to recurring injuries and a lack of goal-scoring form. An all-time great nonetheless.
Jay-Jay Okocha
So good, they named him twice. The Nigerian attacker was possibly one of the most skillful players the Premier League has ever seen and certainly deserves his five-star skill moves attribute.
Although Okocha wasn't the most effective player on this list, he was by far the most aesthetically pleasing to watch.
The Nigerian trickster will most likely be remembered by the English public for his mesmerizing performances for Bolton Wanderers.
Despite Bolton Wanderers being in the Championship to the present day, they were an established Premier League side when Okocha was there. During this time, thousands upon thousands would flood into the Macron Stadium to watch Jay-Jay embarrass defenders with rainbow flicks, stepovers, flip flaps, you name it.
Therefore, if you're looking to embarrass your friends on Ultimate Team, Jay-Jay Okocha will be the perfect man for the job.
