Barcelona have put their faith in a youngster who EA have decided shouldn't even be in their new game
(Image credit: Joan Valls/Urbanandsport /NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Barcelona are synonymous with producing some of the most preciously talented footballers in history, and the latest star to come out of their fabled La Masia academy is set to have a €1bn release clause inserted into his new three-year contract.
All that, and the wonderkid in question doesn't even feature on the newly released EA Sports FC 24.
According to transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona tied down hot prospect Lamine Yamal to his first professional contract as soon as he turned 16-years-old in July, though he had already made his first appearance and scored his first goal for the senior team by then.
Yamal is set to spend three more years at Barcelona (Image credit: Getty Images)
Yamal signed a three-year contract that will keep him at Barcelona until June 2026, with FIFA rules stipulating that a player under 18 can only sign a maximum of three years on a professional contract.
If another club wants to try and prise him away from his boyhood side in the meantime, however, they will have to match his £1bn release clause inserted into his contract.
That figure isn't uncommon for the Blaugrana, though. Ever since losing Neymar to PSG for €222m in 2017, Barcelona have tried tying down their most important talent with seemingly unmatchable release clauses. According to reports, Ferran Torres, Pedri, Gavi, Ronald Araujo and Alejandro Balde all have €1bn valuations placed into their contracts by the club.
Yamal hasn't made the FC 24 game (Image credit: EA)
And yet, Lamine Yamal doesn't even feature on new game FC 24. But why?
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The young Spanish winger has begun the 2023/24 season promisingly, registering two assists in four La Liga starts, with manager Xavi introducing him off the bench in the other four games.
He also made his debut for the Spanish national team in September, but he is simply deemed too young to feature in the latest iteration of the hugely popular game.
VIDEO: How FIFA Became EA Sports FC 24 - The Complete History Of The Biggest Game In Football History
EA have a self-imposed rule to not include players under the age of 17, which means Yamal won't be introduced into gameplay until at least July 13, 2024, his next birthday. Unfortunately for Career Mode fans looking to take advantage of the best wonderkids in EA Sports FC 24, Yamal isn't available to sign.
PSG midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery suffered the same fate in FIFA 23. Aged 16 upon the release of the game in September 2022, he was only added when he had his 17th birthday in March.
Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.
