The summer transfer window saw some spectacular moves take place, with Cristiano Ronaldo joining Juventus while Liverpool brought in some new players in key positions to help them challenge for the Premier League title.
FIFA 19 will be the first chance for gamers to play with these updated squads for the 2018-19 season, with FIFA Ultimate Team players eager to see how these transferred stars work in their custom-build squads.
Ronaldo's move to Serie A will surely increase the popularity of the Italian top flight in FIFA 19, just as it has in real life where the five-time Ballon d'Or's arrival led to a gigantic increase in shirt sales.
As well as the regular transferred versions of these new players, special Ones to Watch players will be available in FIFA 19, just like in past editions of the game, where they are some of the most sought-after cards in the first few weeks of the game.
But what are Ones to Watch players, how do you get them and which Ones to Watch players are in FIFA 19?
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How do Ones to Watch players work?
Unlike regular cards and even normal Team of the Week cards, Ones to Watch players are dynamic and can get better as the season progresses. Every Wednesday EA Sports announces the Team of the Week, choosing a full squad of the best performing players from the past seven days.
These players receive special one-off upgraded editions that are available in packs for one week only e.g. if Harry Kane scores a hat-trick for Spurs, he will get a new In Form version in Team of the Week which has slightly improved stats on his regular card. The regular card does not receive a boost, while the new upgraded edition is available in packs for one week only. If he gets in Team of the Week again, another new upgraded version is released, while the previous versions remain untouched.
However, Ones to Watch versions upgrade every time the player gets selected in Team of the Week or receives a Man of the Match award for a good performance in the Champions League, Europa League, domestic cups or even international games. This means that if you have a player who receives one of these new special edition versions, the Ones to Watch card will automatically get an upgrade to match the stats of the new In Form version.
This can happen multiple times if the player continues to impress. Last season, new PSG signings Neymar and Kylian Mbappe started out with 92 and 83 Ones to Watch cards, but by the end of the campaign, these had become 95 and 87 overall respectively.
Ones to Watch cards are only available in packs for the first few weeks of the season after the launch of FIFA 19, while new ones will also be added following the January transfer window. They can be purchased on the market all year round, with some available through special Squad Building Challenges (SBCs) to make them accessible for a larger range of gamers.
Which Ones to Watch players are in FIFA 19?
So far, EA Sports has only revealed three of the new Ones to Watch players for FIFA 19. More will be announced in the coming weeks as the September 28 release date nears in order to heighten anticipation for the new game.
Unsurprisingly, FIFA 19 cover star Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the new Ones to Watch cards, with his overall rating coming in at 94. This means that he will need just five Team of the Week or Man of the Match editions to reach the maximum 99 overall score. Even without that, his 94 ST Juventus card is almost unstoppable.
Bayern Munich brought in Germany midfielder Leon Goretzka from Schalke on a free transfer, with his strength in every category making him a much-loved player in FIFA 18. This is replicated in FIFA 19 and any upgrade on the 82 version will turn him into the complete midfielder.
The other player announced in the first batch of Ones to Watch cards was Thomas Lemar, who traded Monaco for Atletico Madrid. His LM version has a decent 85 pace rating, but will surely increase in both price and popularity with an upgrade to his speed and overall scores.