Who here is thrilled to see him return? (EA)The late Diego Maradona will soon be added to EA Sports FC 25, nearly three years after he was removed from FIFA 22.Back in 2022, EA suddenly and unexpectedly removed Argentinian player and manager Diego Maradona from that years football game, FIFA 22.At the time, all EA said was this was due to a third-party legal dispute, though it was believed EA had failed to properly secure the rights to the late Maradonas likeness.EA expressed hope that it would be able to reintroduce Maradona back to the game. Its been nearly three years since then and after three sequels and a rebranding to EA Sports FC, Maradona is officially set to make a comeback.When is Diego Maradona being added to EA Sports FC 25?According to a post shared to the EA Sports FC 25 X account, Diego Maradona will be added to the game this week on February 14.EA hasnt provided any further specifics though, only posting an image of Maradona alongside the EA Sports FC 25 logo and a date to announce his return.At the very least, Maradona should be made available in EA Sports FC 25s Ultimate Team Mode, allowing players to recruit him for their squad. In FIFA 22, he boasted extremely high stats so hell no doubt be heavily sought after upon his return.As a reminder, EA thought it did have permission to use Maradonas likeness from his former manager, but it turned out said manager never held the rights.To make things extra confusing, there was a separate legal battle going on between two other parties Maradonas lawyer and Maradonas heirs over who actually held the likeness rights following Maradonas death in 2020.More TrendingPer a report by The Associated Press, a company owned by Maradonas lawyer named Sattvica tried to claim ownership of the Maradona trademark, but an attempt at a transferal was cancelled by Maradonas heirs and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), which said the company hadnt provided sufficient documentation.Sattvica tried to get around this by appealing to the General Court of the European Union but, in November 2023, said court rejected the appeal and sided with the EUIPO, saying, The documents submitted in support of the request for registration of the transfer do not justify an assignment of the trademark to that company.Presumably, this means EA has been negotiating with Maradonas heirs to resecure the likeness rights though the company is unlikely to go into the nitty gritty of the matter.While this is some good news for EA and fans, Maradonas return is unlikely to be an instant fix for EAs current financial woes. The company recently admitted that EA Sports FC 25 hasnt been performing as well as hoped though EA CEO Andrew Wilson is confident things will pick up later in the year. EA Sports FC 25 was the best selling game ever in the UK last year (EA)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy