According to a new report, EA Sports are seriously considering removing Brazilian legend Ronaldinho from FIFA 20 Ultimate Team after his legal troubles in Paraguay.
Ronaldinho and his brother were arrested in Paraguay on March 6 after allegedly attempting to enter the country with forged documents, and passports matching their descriptions were found to be fraudulent due to their nationalities being listed as Paraguayan.
The buck doesn’t stop there for Ronaldinho though, who is now facing disciplinary action in FIFA 20 as well as in the real world, as EA Sports are apparently seriously considering removing him from the game entirely.
According to a report from ESPN Brazil via Diário Olé, EA are studying the removal of the player after his legal troubles, which would mean all four of his Icon cards would be removed from the game entirely.
Ronaldinho’s Icon cards, which span throughout the duration of his career with ratings of 89, 91, 94 and 95 are highly-desired cards, with teams often built around them or sold so as to accommodate a much stronger starting eleven.
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His legend status on the pitch is reflected well in his in-game statistics and standing, but it’s very possible that before long he won’t be in the game at all, and it wouldn’t be an entirely surprising move.
EA Sports have shown that they’re not afraid to make bold decisions such as these. Earlier in the FIFA 20 lifecycle, Dutch legend Marco van Basten was removed from the game entirely due to his use of a controversial phrase during a TV broadcast.
Also, in FIFA 19, Cristiano Ronaldo stopped being highlighted or shown as much after allegations were made against him.
It’s impossible to tell at this point what EA Sports will do with Ronaldinho’s inclusion as an Icon in FIFA 20 Ultimate Team, especially for a player so unanimously revered among football fans, but they’re clearly not afraid to make hard decisions. What it would mean for owners, though, remains to be seen.