EA Sports FC 27 Denies Lepaul Likeness Despite Ligue 1 Top Scorer Award

Estéban Lepaul may have finished as Ligue 1’s top scorer last season with 21 goals and be on the verge of earning his first France call-up, but EA Sports FC 27 has assigned him a generic face — one that, according to several social media users, resembles Portuguese midfielder Vitinha.

The Stade Rennais striker, already with three goals in the 2025-26 season opener, reacted with humour on Wednesday evening after Rennes’ 0-0 Europa League draw against Sturm Graz. “All of this will be rewarded one day, I know it,” he said. A video highlighting the absence of his custom likeness accumulated nearly 700,000 views on X, with the account DreDreamFUT summing up the widespread bewilderment: “Ligue 1’s top scorer not modelled… Will we have to wait for him to move to the Premier League?”

Lepaul’s case is not isolated. EA Sports scans the faces of Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga players each year, but not those of Ligue 1. For several seasons, players who have arrived in France from less prominent leagues have been saddled with standardised, barely recognisable features. As a result, in FC 27, PSG stars benefit from careful modelling, while other talented players in the league are barely recognisable.

Lepaul is in his third Ligue 1 season — following a spell at Angers SCO — and the problem persists. EA Sports’ new game is expected on 25 September. Zinédine Zidane is set to announce his squad for the next UEFA Nations League international window this Friday at 6 p.m., with four matches scheduled against Turkey, Belgium (twice) and Italy.