FIFA 21: Anthony Joshua to appear as playable character, while Bellerin joins EA Sports

Anthony Joshua has made the move from boxing to football, at least in the virtual world, after it was confirmed he will appear in FIFA 21.

Joshua will be a playable character in the video game's "Volta" mode – in which players are able to test their skills in a small-sided game with five-a-side rules.

Olympic gold medallist and world heavyweight champion Joshua is being introduced as a "Groundbreaker", alongside Kaka, Eric Cantona, Thierry Henry, Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, Atletico Madrid youngster Joao Felix and FIFA 21 cover star Kylian Mbappe.

Diplo, a three-time Grammy Award-winning DJ and producer, also features.

Players will be able to pit their wits against the Groundbreakers, while also being able to recruit them into their squads.

The Volta mode will be taking on a new look with Arsenal right-back Hector Bellerin taking on the role of Creative Director.

"Very excited to join the @easportsfifa team as Creative Director for VOLTA," Bellerin wrote on Instagram.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Héctor Bellerín (@hectorbellerin) on Sep 24, 2020 at 9:50am PDT

"During lockdown & my holidays I’ve been keeping busy with channeling my creativity into a purposeful direction. Being able to design outfits & kits has been fun and I can’t wait for you all to play in them but also see & share the messaging within them."

FIFA players don't have too much longer to wait for the new game, with FIFA 21 set to be released worldwide on October 9 .

EA Sports has confirmed there won't be a demo version of this year's release beforehand, saying the decision had been made in order "to focus our development team's time on delivering the best full game experience for current & next-gen consoles."

T here will, however, be an Early Access option for players who pre-order the game or have a subscription to EA Play or Origin Access.

Early Access will begin on October 1, but players can only play for a maximum of 10 hours before the full release on October 9.

Ultimate Team players can also get head start on their squads with the Web App , which is predicted to be launched online around Wednesday, September 30.

Players can trade and complete squad-building challenges on the Web App, allowing them to build up a squad before playing any games.