With the 2022 Qatar World Cup coming to a spectacular close, Argentina’s Leo Messi has cemented himself in football royalty. With the Argentine striker a central talking point, many outlets want to see him on the cover of Electronic Arts’ newest football game, EA Sports FC. However, PSG star Kylian Mbappé is currently the FIFA publisher’s go-to cover star, but it might be time for a change. Who will be on the first cover star for EA Sports FC?
EA Sports FC
Earlier this year, Electronic Arts announced that it would move on from its partnership with FIFA and start a new football-gaming era under the name EA Sports FC. This decision ended a 30-year-long partnership with the football governing body, FIFA.
The licensing agreement that the American publisher had with FIFA contained the usage of the acronym F.I.F.A and the assets to FIFA World Cup. Everything else that EA uses in its yearly football game is in agreement with particular leagues or FIFPro.
At the moment, only a little is known about EA Sports FC or what plans EA has in store for football fans, but we can speculate who will be on the first cover of the series.
EA Sports FC Possible Cover Stars
Electronic Arts are known for playing it safe regarding what athletes are on the cover of its football games. The FIFA publisher tends to feature the same player for multiple years, and then finally, a change happens. For example, Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney was on the cover of seven consecutive FIFA games before the publisher changed it to Lionel Messi, who was on four FIFA titles.
Lionel Messi
After a fantastic World Cup win, Leo Messi has made a strong argument to be considered the greatest footballer of all time. This creates a solid argument for him to be the first player on the cover of EA’s newest football series.
However, an EA Sports FC cover with the Argentine holding the World Cup trophy- as suggested by Fox Soccer might not be possible due to the licensing partnership with FIFA being no more. But Messi is the most recognizable player in the world at the moment, so putting him on the cover himself would benefit Electronic Arts.
Kylian Mbappé
On the other side of that nerve-racking World Cup final was Messi’s PSG teammate, Kylian Mbappé. The Frenchmen has been EA’s go-to cover star for the last few installments of FIFA. Mbappé has solidified himself as heir to Messi’s throne by becoming his generation’s youngest and best footballer. With a World Cup title already under his belt, it’s no wonder EA has continued to feature him on the cover of the latest FIFA games.
However, EA Sports FC is a new start for Electronic Arts, so maybe we will see a cover athlete other than Messi or Mbappé.
Who will be the first player on the EA Sports FC’s cover? Let us know in the comments. Join the conversation by joining us on Discord, and check out our Twitter and Facebook pages as well as our growing YouTube Channel!