It seems fitting then, that the video-game world of football has a huge surprise too – in the form of the freshly unveiled story mode that will be in EA’s FIFA 17 due for release later this year. Alex Hunter may not be a name you’re instantly familiar with, but he’s the star of The Journey and, with luck, this could be a mode that delivers for years to come. Cheap fifa 17 coins is hot saling in this store.

1. Outside pursuits

In 2013, a developer called Geniaware released a game called Lords of Football. It was awful, but it let us delve into the life of a footballer away from the pitch. Could we see something similar happen here? Can we take Alex clubbing for the evening instead of training?

What if he can have hobbies and interests that we decide? Sure, it sounds as though the structure of The Journey will be set in stone, but hopefully there are internal boundaries we can move within that aren’t too rigid.

When, through no fault of our own, a terrible referee sends us off because we slid in two-footed on Leicester’s Jamie Vardy and we’re suspended for a week or two, we want to take our would-be hero away for the weekend to try and get through the tough mudder.

2. From zero to hero

Those of you old enough to remember a time before games were at the pinnacle of technology they are now might remember a time when you’d act out being your favourite footballer in real life. Much the same as people would stand in front of a mirror with a tennis racquet pretending to be Bruce Springsteen.

No kid outside of the local area dreams of playing for Italian Serie B team Pescara, or in the Spanish Segunda Division for Osasuna, but let’s be honest, not every hot prospect signing for Manchester United ends up being the next Ronaldo, either.

Managerial mistakes can mean that sometimes clubs miss out on incredible players they already had (Gerard Piqué ending up at Barcelona from Man Utd springs to mind), but one good season can make or break you in the modern game.

3. That lad must have been born offside

EA has revealed that there will be dialogue options in The Journey, which on its own is really exciting. More interesting is that the Premier League managers (and only the Premier League ones have been announced so far) have been properly rendered for the first time.

Does that mean that José Mourinho may have recorded some dialogue? The Special One’s appearance on stage during EA’s yearly press conference (where they unveil their greatest and newest games), as well as his voiceover for the trailers certainly suggests EA and he are working together.

What if José can appear next to us, or give motivational quotes after matches?

4. Winning at all costs, despite friendships

Rivalries in football are a massive part of the game. What would the derbies between Arsenal and Spurs be if they lacked that crucial hatred of one another, despite the fact that huge rivals like the two Manchester clubs will often have players that join forces for international football.

In The Journey, we will be taking Alex onto the field with rivals. He will be up against the brightest and best in the league (and further afield) in the form of Harry Kane, James Rodríguez, Marco Reus, Anthony Martial, Eden Hazard, Dele Alli, Marcus Rashford, and Reece Oxford.

How Rodríguez and Reus come into it (being players from outside the English league) will be interesting, though we’d presume it’ll be Champions League-related. What if we get to play Hunter as a defender, and shut out a rampant Spurs with Kane and Alli trying their hardest to win? What a feeling it’ll be to be the best striker on the field despite sharing it with Reus. How great would it be to get the nod for Manchester United ahead of Rashford or Martial?

There’s a real chance that FIFA’s story mode could make us feel like the King, no matter what Mr Kane thinks about it.