Several footballing stars were out in force last Thursday night as EA Sports hosted the glitzy launch party for FIFA 19 in London.
Tottenham duo Toby Alderweireld and Erik Lamela were among the guests, while Kevin De Bruyne also made the trip down despite being just a few weeks into a rehab programme for the knee ligament injury he suffered at the start of the season.
Indeed, Alderweireld managed to sneak an exclusive preview of the new game during the event, a full week ahead of the full FIFA 19 game's official general release date on Sept. 28.
Unsurprisingly, the Belgium defender opted to play as Tottenham, but not before he switched himself into the starting XI at the expense of teammate Davinson Sanchez.
Having entered the final year of his contract at Spurs, Alderweireld's future continues to be the subject of speculation.
Knowing full well they may end up losing him for nothing, Spurs were forced to fend off interest in the 29-year-old (notably from Manchester United) all summer while the centre-back rejected several offers of a new deal.
He started the season in good form, most notably when he helped Spurs keep a clean sheet in a famous 3-0 win at Manchester United last month after claiming back his starting berth, but he was left in London this week while his teammates flew out for their Champions League clash at Inter Milan.
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino said Alderweireld's omission was for unspecified "technical reasons," only for a Spurs team that included Sanchez to lose 2-1 in Italy.
For the record, Alderweirled's rating in the new FIFa game is 85, better than Sanchez's 84 but markedly below fellow Belgian Jan Vertonghen, whose rating of 87 is the highest among Tottenham defenders.
