September 22, 2021 - The Dinamo and Hajduk FIFA 22 player ratings are here ahead of the game's highly anticipated release on October 1!

The highly anticipated release of the most famous football video game in the world, FIFA 22, is almost here. The new edition also brings some novelties as far as Croatian football is concerned, reports Gol.hr.

For the first time since FIFA 99, Croatian first division team Hajduk will be in the game. Along with Hajduk, there is Dinamo, which has been a part of the video game for several years.

The new FIFA 22 will be released on October 1, but to hold us over until then, the next most important thing for gamers has been revealed - the footballers' ratings.

Dinamo

The Croatian champion has a respectable number of gold cards in the video game, as many as five. In addition, Dominik Livaković has the highest score among Croatian First League players - 82, which is an improvement of 1 compared to FIFA 21.

Behind Livaković is Mislav Oršić, who remained at 77, although he deserved a higher grade according to many. He did score three goals against Tottenham and found the back of the net at the Euros this summer, and that's just part of it. 

After Oršić is Ademi, who sits right behind with 76, followed by Petković (also 76), and Ristovski with 75. Of the other players, Luka Ivanušec is 74, Josisp Mišić 72, Kévin Théophile-Catherine 73, Rasmus Lauritsen 73, and Duje Čop 67.

Hajduk

FIFA was a bit tougher on the Hajduk players. The Split club has only one gold card, which, as expected, went to Marko Livaja, who received a score of 75. Filip Krovinović and Hungarian national Lovrencsics could have won the gold card without any problems, but they will have to wait for the second edition or play a game to remember for an improved card; the same goes for other Hajduk and Dinamo players.

Behind Livaja is Lovre Kalinić 73, Filip Krovinović 72, Josip Vuković 71, Gergő Lovrencsics and Nikola Katić with 70, David Čolina and Dimitris Diamantakos with 69, and Duje Biuk, Jan Mlakar and Josip Elez with 68.

With 17,000 players in more than 700 teams, 90 stadiums, and over 30 leagues, FIFA 22 brings unparalleled authenticity and the most comprehensive interactive football experience. FIFA 22 is the only place where you can play in cult competitions such as the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, the brand new UEFA Europa Conference League, Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga Santander, CONMEBOL Libertadores and CONMEBOL Sudamericana.

Enhanced by revolutionary HyperMotion technology, i.e., the integration of advanced motion recording of 22 professional footballers in a competitive match (11 vs. 11) and machine learning (knowledge from 8.7 million frames of advanced match recordings), FIFA 22 brings an ever more realistic football experience to all players' homes.

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September 9, 2021 - Great news for fans of the ''bijeli'' and the world's best-selling football simulator series, as the Croatian club announced that it will appear in the new edition of the popular EA Sports videogame, and now fans will be able to choose Hajduk Split to play with!

Hajduk Split announced yesterday on its social networks and official website that it will be an officially licensed team in the new edition of the best-selling football simulator in the world: FIFA 22. The announcement was surprising not only because of the inclusion of Hajduk itself, but because Croatian football, in general, has been underrepresented in the video game.

For instance, the last time the Croatian national team appeared in the EA Sports videogame was in 2012 (with the exception of the special editions of the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and 2018), despite the great growth and evolution not only of the team in the previous decade but also by its players in international and local tournaments. Likewise, the Croatian First League has never appeared in the video game.

When it comes to European football, the EA Sports videogame has officially licensed the main leagues on the continent such as the Premier League (England), La Liga (Spain), Serie A (Italy), the Bundesliga (Germany), the Ligue 1 (France), the Eredivisie (Netherlands) the Liga NOS (Portugal). Additionally, it includes European leagues such as those of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey. Finally, some European teams belonging to unlicensed leagues are in the Rest of the World category, and this is the case of teams such as CSKA Moscow (Russia), Dinamo Kyiv (Ukraine), Olympiacos (Greece), or Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic).

The official gameplay trailer for FIFA 22 was shared a month ago.

The only Croatian team present in the game is Dinamo Zagreb, which for a few years has been an eligible team in the Rest of the World category. Similarly, the EA Sports videogame is officially licensed by UEFA's main international tournaments, such as the Champions League, the Europa League, and the recently founded Conference League. For this reason, Dinamo Zagreb has maintained its validity in the game by participating in at least one of these tournaments.

Hajduk will then join Dinamo Zagreb in the latest edition of the EA Sports videogame, as officially licensed teams on the Rest of the World category. Being a FIFA licensed team means having, for example, real uniforms and their sponsors, as well as the squad and their names. Despite no official confirmation, the game will most likely not include the Stadion Poljud or the official faces of the players. The technology used to reproduce stadiums and faces is being used almost exclusively with clubs belonging to the major licensed leagues.

Something positive about the presence of Hajduk Split in the new EA Sports videogame is the possibility that players can hire Hajduk players in Career Mode, where they can manage and train a club by making signings and developing the most promising players. Thus, it will be possible to hire a promising youngster from Hajduk Split to FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, or Manchester United and make him a star of the team. Unfortunately, Hajduk Split cannot be used in Career Mode, as only clubs belonging to a licensed league can be used in this mode.

On its official website, Hajduk Split announced the club's presence in the new EA Sports videogame in this way:

''FIFA 22, the most authentic football simulation available, is becoming even more realistic with HNK Hajduk, which will present itself to many fans of this mega-popular game in the latest season!

With the official entry into FIFA 22, Hajduk strengthens its position in global football and confirms that it follows world trends and the practice of the world's largest clubs.

With 17,000 players in more than 700 teams, in more than 90 stadiums in more than 30 leagues, FIFA 22 brings unparalleled authenticity and the most comprehensive interactive football experience. FIFA 22 is the only place where you can play in cult competitions such as the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, the brand new UEFA Europa Conference League, Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga Santander, CONMEBOL Libertadores and CONMEBOL Sudamericana.

Enhanced by revolutionary HyperMotion technology, ie the integration of advanced motion recording of 22 professional footballers in a competitive match (11 vs. 11) and machine learning (knowledge from 8.7 million frames of advanced match recordings), FIFA 22 brings an ever more realistic football experience to all players' homes!

The official release of FIFA 22 is scheduled for October 1, 2021!''

The club promoted the news on its social networks and on its website with an image of its star, Marko Livaja, who has just scored his first goal for the national team at Stadion Poljud in the qualifying match against Slovenia, along with the official logo of the videogame and the Hajduk Split crest. Many fans of Hajduk Split are already beginning to suspect if the Croatian player, being the image of the news, will have a personalized face or if he will have a good rating in the game. Some are even beginning to recommend that he and his teammates be given ratings of 90 or more (something that only occurs with players like Mbappé, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, or Lewandowski):

LIVAJAAA he deserves 90+ rating and 95+ potential

— Vaki ?? (@Vaki10_) September 8, 2021

biuk and ljubicic 99 potential ?

— Fizzy Rhino (@JoeOucas) September 8, 2021

Some Croatian players who have official faces in the videogame are: Luka Modrić, Marcelo Brozović, Mateo Kovačić, Ivan Rakitić, Ivan Perišić, Andrej Kramarić, Ante Rebić, Šime Vrsaljko, Nikola Vlašić, Duje Ćaleta-Car, Borna Sosa, Josip Brekalo and Tin Jedvaj. 

The Croatian national team is expected to return to the EA Sports videogame next year, with the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. To do so, they will have to continue their good run of results and ensure their qualification in the coming months against Cyprus and Malta in their away games, and against Slovakia and Russia at home. Let's hope that very soon the company decides to officially include the Croatian national team in the game and, in the same way, the Croatian First League and the rest of the teams.

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