FIFA 20 Icons list - every new Icon, Pep Guardiola, Essien, Zidane
Here's every confirmed FIFA 20 Icon in one place! A new season of FIFA 20 Ultimate Team is just around the corner, bringing with it a fresh set of brand-new Icons - legendary players who made their make on the history of football.
EA Sports is announcing new FIFA 20 Icons all the time, so check back for further updates.
Early on in the game’s life cycle at least, Icons are the best-of-the-best when it comes to the highest rated players in FIFA 20. There are typically multiple versions of each Icon, representing their abilities at different stages of their career.
For example, Barcelona era Thierry Henry might not have quite the same electric pace as his Juventus/Arsenal card (although it’s pretty close), but is a better finisher and stronger on the ball.
Last time out in FIFA 19, EA Sports introduced Prime Icon Moments. These even further upgraded versions of Icons represented each talismanic player at the absolute peak of their powers. You might have to wait a little longer to try and get your hands on these, since they’re usually drip-fed throughout the season.
Below is every new Icon joining the FIFA 20 roster, along with a little taste of why they deserve to be in such exalted company. Then underneath that we’ve listed every returning Icon from FIFAs past.
FIFA 20 New Icons list
Pep Guardiola
It's always fun to see current managers take to the pitch as Icons, and Pep Guardiola is a great, if unexpected, addition.
Running the game from the base of midfield, it's not a huge surprise that Pep went on to be one of the top coaches in world football. Despite being under six foot, his strong defending, passing, and physical stats should make for a good defensive option who's good in transition.
Garrincha
Double world cup winning legend Garrincha looks like a great pick-up. The Brazilian winger is quick and tricky and promises to be one of the best dribblers in the game.
The dribbling stat on his prime card is Messi/Neymar level, and he has the shooting and passing to back it up.
Kenny Dalglish
King Kenny was a mainstay of the dominant Liverpool team of the '80s. In terms of gameplay, he looks similar to other British Icon strikers - quick, good on the ball, and a deadly poacher.
He stands a little shorter than a lot of those other players though, which tends to translate into a nippier and more explosive forward in FIFA.
Gianluca Zambrotta
The Icon squad is a bit thin at full-back, and Zambrotta looks like a top-quality option.
A world cup winner with Italy in the noughties, Zambrotta was a mainstay in top European sides for over a decade. He's got enough pace to keep up with the best attackers, brilliant defending and dribbling, and great physical stats along with a six foot frame should make him decent in the air.
Michael Essien
Michael Essien is one of the most exciting new FIFA 20 Icons simply because of his all-round utility. His prime card especially combines the solid defending and physical stats we see on a lot of Icons with an all important burst of pace. We might not be talking Lothar Matthaus levels of godliness, but he's sure to be a cheaper option.
Hugo Sanchez
Mexico's greatest ever player returns to FIFA. The third highest foreign goalscorer in La Liga after Messi and Ronaldo, Sanchez played as a striker and featured in the Classic XI for years, but this is his first outing as an Icon in FIFA Ultimate Team.
In previous FIFAs he's been a pacey striker with great finishing and 5-star skill moves. It that comes through to his FIFA 20 Icon card, then it's sure to be strong. He'll probably be quite similar to the Luis Hernandez Icon from FIFA 19, but with better shooting.
Ian Rush
One of the most prolific strikers of the '80s and early '90s, Ian Rush is a legend at Liverpool and was Wales' leading goalscorer until he was overtaken by Gareth Bale just a couple of years ago.
Rush is also one of the rare and classic examples of British footballers playing in Europe, joining Juventus for a season during a golden age of Serie A - facing off against Maradona's Napoli, and the league-winning Milan team with Baresi, Maldini, Ancelotti, Gullit, and van Basten.
John Barnes
He's the England man, catch him if you can! John Barnes might be best known for rapping in New Order's official Italia '90 World Cup song, but he was a fast, tricky, and prolific winger who played north of 300 times for Liverpool over 10 years.
Zinedine Zidane
The current Real Madrid manager won three Champions League titles in a row at the helm of Los Blancos before stepping down. Now back in the hot seat he’s got a tough task on his hands guiding Real through a period of transition.
As a player though, Zizou was unquestionably world class. An attacking midfielder who was equally adept at scoring goals as creating them, he made over 100 league appearances for both Juventus and Real Madrid - winning the league with both teams, as well as the Champions League during his time in Spain.
He also won the World Cup with France in 1998 - the same year he won the Ballon D’or - before going on to win Euro 2000.
Zidane has been a much requested Icon in FIFA, and is sure to come with some incredible attacking stats - especially seeing as he’s gracing the front cover of the Ultimate Edition of the game.
Carlos Alberto
Although we got a lot more top-quality full backs over the course of FIFA 19, Carlos Alberto was one of the best ever and will be a welcome addition to any team.
As well an imperious defender, Carlos Alberto was a quality attacking option - most famously finishing off one of the great team goals in emphatic style.
Ian Wright
One of the most prolific strikers of the ‘90s, Ian Wright joins the growing list of Arsenal legends in the FIFA Icons roster.
Wright is famous for starting his full professional football career at the relatively late age of 22, playing first for Crystal Palace before joining George Graham’s successful Arsenal side.
Like current Arsenal-associated Icon Thierry Henry, Wright will probably come with great pace and top quality finishing, but was also a tricky and two-footed player that should be a lot of fun to use.
Ronald Koeman
Part of the Euro winning 1988 Dutch national team which included fellow Icons Ruud Guillit, Marco van Basten, and Frank Rijkaard, Ronald Koeman was an underratedly awesome player with an absolute cannon of a shot.
Despite playing mostly as a centre-half or defensive midfielder, Koeman scored nearly 200 league goals across his career and will be a long shot menace in the coming FIFA.
Didier Drogba
An Icon version of Drogba is going to be immense. Tall, strong, and a good finisher, Drogba helped Chelsea pull off one of the biggest Champions League final upsets ever - powering in a crazy near-post header past the best goalkeeper in the world to take the tie to extra time before slotting home the winning penalty.
Andrea Pirlo
The archetypal Regista, Pirlo was every hipster's favourite footballer even before he ended Joe Hart's career with the most nonchalant Panenka penalty ever.
FIFA tends to struggle with making players like Pirlo as good as they are in real life, so it'll be interesting to see what stats he gets. Expect incredible passing as a given, but don't be surprised to see a wicked shot and solid defensive stats owing to his time at the base of double Champions League and World Cup winning midfields for club and country.
FIFA 19 New Icons
Along with the new faces, you’d expect most of the Icons that appeared in the last FIFA to show up again.
These are all the Icons that were new in FIFA 19:
- Paul Scholes
- Ryan Giggs
- Hristo Stoickov
- Christian Vieri
- George Best
- Jens Lehman
- Michael Ballack
- Luis Figo
- Gennaro Gattuso
- Socrates
- Roberto Baggio
- Raul Blanco
- Emilio Butragueno
- Ruud van Nistelrooy
- David Trezuguet
- Gianfranco Zola
- Gary Lineker
- Miroslav Klose
- Clarence Seedorf
- Claude Makelele
- Pavel Nedved
- Roy Keane
- Juan Sebastian Veron
- Hidetoshi Nakata
- Franco Baresi
- Bobby Moore
- Fernando Hierro
- Fabio Cannavaro
- Sol Campbell
- Johan Cryff
- Eusebio
- Rivaldo
- Steven Gerrard
- Frank Lampard
FIFA 18 Icons List
These are all of the Icons that appeared in FIFA 18:
- Ronaldo Nazário
- Pele
- Thierry Henry
- Diego Maradona
- Ronaldinho
- Ruud Gullit
- Lev Yashin
- Rio Ferdinand
- Roberto Carlos
- Jay-Jay Okocha
- Patrick Vieira
- Peter Schmeichel
- Carles Puyol
- Alessandro Del Piero
- Michael Owen
- Deco
- Paolo Maldini
- Marco Van Basten
- Lothar Matthäus
- Dennis Bergkamp
- Javier Zanetti
- Alessandro Nesta
- Edwin van der Sar
- Gheorghe Hagi
- Patrick Kluivert
- Robert Pires
- Andriy Shevchenko
- Alan Shearer
- Marcel Desailly
- Laurent Blanc
- Michael Laudrup
- Pippo Inzaghi
- Marc Overmars
- Henrik Larsson
- Emmanuel Petit
- Luis Hernandez
- Rui Costa
- Frank Rijkaard
- Jari Litmanen
- Hernan Crespo