Modders don’t have access to modern scans. Instead, they use to rip assets from FIFA 23, extract the texture files, re-map the UVs, and then inject them into the archaic PES 2017 .fpk file structure. The hair is the hardest part.
On PC, PES 2017 is no longer a game; it is a vessel. Modders have replaced every stadium, every scoreboard, and every boot. But the holy grail is the face-build —specifically the hair . In real life, 2022 was the year Gavi exploded. The Andalusian mosquito won the Golden Boy award, debuted for Spain at 17, and introduced the world to a specific aesthetic: the curly, messy, floppy mop of a teenager who refuses to use hair gel .
And at the center of this renaissance is a teenager who hadn’t even made his senior debut when the game was released: . PES 2017 PABLO GAVI FACE HAIRSTYLE 2022
That’s not just a mod. That’s preserving history.
By late 2022, EA Sports had Gavi locked down with a decent face in FIFA 23. eFootball had a passable version. But the PES 2017 faithful felt left behind. They had the best gameplay on the market, but their virtual Gavi looked like a default “Player_123” with a crew cut. Modders don’t have access to modern scans
Thus, the call went out. Creating “Pablo Gavi (2022)” for PES 2017 is not a simple download. It is digital archaeology.
The video preview showed the infamous "false nine" run—Gavi picking up the ball near the center circle, the messy brown fringe bouncing in sync with the Fox Engine’s physics. The face had the scruffy eyebrows. The slight gap in the teeth (a detail most would miss). And the hair... the hair moved like a separate living entity. On PC, PES 2017 is no longer a game; it is a vessel
By the touchline historian
In video game terms, hair is everything. A generic face scan is forgivable; bad hair is a crime.