Chances are you’ll know someone who this week excitedly snapped up the latest in the annual series of football video games formerly known as FIFA.

Having dropped the big-money tie-up with the sport’s world governing body, EA Sports’ latest offering – now known simply as FC24 – promises to bring you the most realistic football game yet.

It’s certainly come a long way.

Back in 1993, I remember buying and relentlessly playing the very first incarnation on the Sega Megadrive – a machine which seems rather archaic today. Back then the title had the less catchy name of FIFA International Soccer (‘soccer’ – I ask you!).

To give an indication of the age, the England player on the front cover was David Platt. He’s been retired for well over 20 years now and is fast approaching 60. In fact, most (if not all) of the players on the front of the new game wouldn’t have even been born when it first emerged.

The game itself was not a particularly realistic effort but it was great fun and provided me and my pals many hours of competitive enjoyment. None of the players looked anything like the famous faces of the game at the time and all the in-game player names were made up. In fact, some were simply the names of the blokes who worked for the game’s developers.

But it made other football games look a bit pedestrian and despite plenty of competition over the years, it has emerged as the world’s most popular ‘soccer’ title.

The last time I played it was last year when my son thrashed me and I realised the magic I had with the joypad 30 years ago had long since deserted me. It was probably akin to David Platt trying to compete with Erling Haaland. It was, quite literally, a different game back then.

Mind you, back in the early 1980s I was beyond thrilled when I received what was then a pretty cutting-edge football game for Christmas.

Called ‘Jimmy’ (I have no idea why – Jimmy Hill? Jimmy Case? Jimmy Greenhoff?) it was a primitive ‘video’ game by Waddingtons. In fact, video game is far too strong. It was what we used to call an ‘electronic game’.

A cardboard ‘pitch’ had a number of little red lights. You had to imagine they were players with the ball. The game revolved around having to double-guess your opponent to try and ‘intercept’ the ball and then stick it in the old onion bag. If you scored you were treated to a one-note toot to the tune of When The Saints Go Marching In. I can still remember it now.

Next to Subbuteo, however, it was like the dawning of a new age.

And don’t get me wrong, I liked Subbuteo but I always had one major issue – namely when you unfolded the ‘pitch’ I could never get it sufficiently flat on the carpet of my bedroom. Which effectively made well-placed ‘flicks’ an impossibility. It was like playing amid the rocks of the Grand Canyon.

Plus, by the time I’d accidentally stood on some of the players and snapped them off their bases it made for a frustrating experience.

Today, of course, EA Sports offers a rather more sophisticated version of the beautiful game.

I, on the other hand, have retired from playing and have long since gone into management. At least with the somewhat more sedate pace of Football Manager. I don’t think I’ll be missed.