However, the difference is that the players featured in the Academy will start at an 82 OVR rating. But by using the Evolutions feature in Ultimate Team, you can grow and build these players up to 90 OVR by completing in-game challenges and EAFC 25 Coins objectives.

There are 9 different Attacker players to choose from in the Academy including –

Rodri (LW)Okafor (ST)Athenea (RW)Bryan (LW)Malard (LW)Dina Ebimbe (RM)Ferreira (ST)Brobbey (ST)Torres (RM)The Messi TOTY card has now reached a value of approximately 10 million coins on the EA Sports FC 25 market. In this market, players can earn between 500 and 700 coins per match without having to purchase them with FC Points. The reason behind this increase in value is quite simple. During the promotional period, players had the opportunity to complete a Squad Creation Challenge that, upon meeting certain requirements, would reward them with a Team of the Year card featuring Messi, with a minimum overall rating of 86. However, due to a bug, many players were able to unlock Messi's TOTY card through this challenge, causing its value to plummet temporarily. Upon realizing this mistake, EA Sports promptly removed the challenge, thereby preventing fans who were slower to complete it from obtaining Messi's card. As a result, these players are now left with no choice but to resort to the domestic market and invest exorbitant sums of money, as the value of the card has once again skyrocketed due to its limited availability.

EA's Statement on the Issue

EA Sports has addressed the issue regarding the TOTY Championship Player Choice SBC, which was available for about 20 minutes on January 30 before being removed due to a design error. This SBC held a high probability of yielding the Team of the Year Messi card, causing confusion and disappointment among players.

Specifically, an SBC was released on January 30. It offered a non-exchangeable 86+ OVR player from 13 leagues, each having at least one TOTY player. Only the Rest of the World and MLS leagues had one player meeting the 86+ OVR criteria. During the short window when the SBC was live, about 0.7% of Ultimate Team players received a TOTY Messi card.

Will There Be Any Compensation?

EA Sports has acknowledged the players' frustrations and confirmed that those who completed the SBC can keep their rewards. However, they will not reactivate the SBC as initially planned. They also recognized that their solution wasn't perfect and committed to improving their processes to prevent such mishaps in the future.

Nonetheless, EA Sports' communication triggered a largely negative response on social media. Critics claim that the "0.7% of Ultimate Team users" statistic provided by EA Sports doesn't accurately represent the issue's extent. They argue that this number includes all Ultimate Team accounts, not just those who completed the SBC. Therefore, like the FIFA 23 guaranteed Hero package sold for 25,000 credits, there will be no compensation for those who missed out on the TOTY Messi card.

This incident has raised many questions about EA Sports' handling of in-game issues and their commitment to player satisfaction. It remains to be seen whether EA Sports will adopt a more player-friendly approach in the future or continue with their current practices. Meanwhile, players have been advised to stay vigilant and report any similar issues promptly in the future.

Not the Only Recent Mistake from EA…

A mistake in EA Sports FC 25 resulted in lower-rated players being included in a faulty Ultimate Team pack, much to the disappointment of fans. Microtransactions continue to be a controversial topic in video games, and EA Sports FC 25 is no exception. In the game, you can purchase packs using FC Points, a virtual currency that requires real money to obtain. These packs offer new players for the online Ultimate Team mode.

However, EA recently advertised a pack specifically for players rated 87 and above, but fans soon discovered that it actually contained players as low as 86. Naturally, fans began to voice their complaints, and the EA Sports FC communications account on Twitter acknowledged the mistake. EA confirmed that players were indeed receiving lower-rated players in cheap EAFC 25 Coins the 87+ Base/Triple Threat/UCL & UWCL Heroes Player Pick (x3) pack.