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          FIFA 23's graphics for stars like Benzema, Messi are next level, but not everyone is happy

          EA Sports
          • Chris Wright, Toe Poke writerSep 28, 2022, 12:00 PM

          With FIFA 23 being released around the world this week, fans of the game have been in awe at just how good the graphics are in the latest instalment of EA Sports' flagship franchise.

          Images and screenshots have been circulating on social media demonstrating the incredible detail of the high-resolution face scans. The next-gen technology implemented to make the final edition game's partnership with world soccer's governing body, before it rebrands to become EA Sports FC next year, is truly breathtaking.

          Behold, for example, how accurately every single beard hair on Lionel Messi's face is reproduced in pixel form.

          - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.)

          And marvel at the level of microscopic mapping, with the in-game lighting effects also tweaked to allow players to study each individual pore on Karim Benzema's glinting forehead.

          However, not everybody is quite so bowled over by the player likenesses on display. Indeed, the wife of Benfica defender Lucas Verissimo was left incandescent after stumbling across the avatar used to depict her husband in FIFA 23.

          Amanda Verissimo commented on a tweet shared by a fan which exclaimed they "didn't know whether to laugh or cry" about the Brazilian centre-back's distinctly unflattering player model.

          "What is this ugly thing? I didn't marry an ugly man," she exclaimed in sheer horror.

          For the record, here's what the 27-year-old Brazilian actually looks like.

          One Arsenal supporter has also voiced their ire after discovering that the Gunners do not bear much resemblance to the players who have earned an early place at the top of the Premier League table.

          As a side note, in case there was any doubt over how seriously fans take this subject, the above tweet links to "FIFA 23 Faces," a YouTube channel dedicated to player likenesses in the game.

          Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has also been given an equally curious overhaul, with some joking that the famously suave Spanish head coach had been turned into his English lower-league alter ego, "Michael Anderson."

          At least those aggrieved by their FIFA 23 models can rest assured that they haven't been done as dirty as Franck Ribery was in FIFA 20.

          It's almost as if EA Sports deliberately mashed Ribery together with former Bayern Munich teammate Arjen Robben -- who together formed the formidable partnership dubbed "Robbery" that terrorised Bundesliga full-backs for many years -- to create the ultimate "superwinger."

          The Frenchman even took to Twitter to complain about the shoddy likeness, complaining that it had upset his children -- which was perfectly understandable given the circumstances.