There have been a lot of cover stars for FIFA games. Many games feature multiple athletes, and newer games even feature multiple versions, with different stars on each cover. Wayne Rooney might be on a lot of them, but starring on the cover of a FIFA game marks you as one of the biggest names in the sport.
If you want to get a feel for who the biggest soccer star is at any point since 1993, you can just check the FIFA cover for that year – and that’s exactly what this list will help you to do. Scroll down below for a trip down memory lane, and a reminder of who the biggest soccer superstars have been over the last 30 years.
FIFA International Soccer (1993) – David Platt and Piotr Swierczewski
The debut of the FIFA series, and the image on the cover basically says ‘what soccer pics do we have the right to?’ Unlike later games that feature an athlete at their prime, this one just features two guys. No offense, but, two guys nonetheless.
FIFA Soccer 95 (1994) – Erik Thorstvedt
The Norwegian goalkeeper takes pride of place on the cover of FIFA Soccer 95, and was probably chosen simply because of this excellent action shot, rather than his talents specifically. Sorry, Erik.
FIFA Soccer 96 (1995) – Andy Legg and Ioan Sabau
Another fantastic action shot here of a devastating slide tackle. Well, devastating for soccer, at least.
FIFA 97 (1996) – David Ginola
This looks more like what we’ve come to expect from FIFA covers. David Ginola seemed to be chosen because of the talents and star power he had in that era – though his plain black and white kit feels a bit out of place.
FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 (1997) – David Beckham
Both the best and worst timing for David Beckham’s FIFA debut, this was EA waving the flag for British World Cup hopefuls, but it ended up with Beckham being characterized as stupid in a squad of heroes. Unfair now that we can look back, but David Beckham is still a superstar today, far removed from his football roots, so it’s probably safe to say that it worked out okay for him.
FIFA 99 (1998) – Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis appears here with full kit and sponsorships intact. If you were a footie fan in this era, you’ll know why this man deserves to be on the cover. Arsenal fans won’t forget his service.
FIFA 2000 (1999)- Sol Campbell
The first defender to get a solo cover appearance in the series, and justifiably so. He was one of the best players of any era to fill that role, and he deserves that place, even if he’s the second star to forget his kit for the photoshoot.
FIFA 2001 (2000) – Paul Scholes
Ah, the infamous ‘invisible ink’ kit, one England wore in its international matches at the time. Awful. Paul Scholes is a respectable player though, even if his career never changed the game in any way.
FIFA Football 2002 (2001) – Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry is still a well known name now, even outside of the sport, and that’s for good reason. The first wave of a new breed of football superstar, Thierry Henry defined this era of football.
FIFA Football 2003 (2002) – Roberto Carlos, Ryan Giggs, and Edgar Davids
The first cover with three stars on, with full licensed gear no less. What’s more is that they’re actually posing for the game cover, and not just playing the game while being shot candidly. It does make the group on the front look a bit like a rap album cover, mind.
FIFA Football 2004 (2003) – Alessandro Del Piero, Thierry Henry, and Ronaldinho
Thierry Henry, the player so nice he was the first to feature twice. Ronaldinho joins the group, another legend of the sport.
FIFA Football 2005 (2004) – Patrick Vieira, Fernando Morientes, and Andriy Shevchenko
This is the era of trios on the cover, and admittedly, you might not remember this trio of players. Andriy Shevchenko is considered to be the only player that delivered during this era of soccer. Shame.
FIFA 06 (2005) – Wayne Rooney and Ronaldinho
Get used to these two names. Wayne Rooney is one of the biggest names in soccer even today, and you know the name Ronaldinho. Take a good look at their faces. Remember them. They defined football for a very long time. The dramatic rain scene is a first, too.
FIFA 07 (2006) – Wayne Rooney and Ronaldinho
You know who they are. Yes, they dominated that much.
FIFA 08 (2007) – Wayne Rooney and Ronaldinho
Just keep using the same guys, give them different angles. Who cares, they’re superstars.
FIFA 09 (2008) – Ronaldinho and Wayne Rooney
Swap positions. That’ll do.
FIFA 10 (2009) – Theo Walcott, Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard
Poor Ronaldinho. I’d be outraged if I found out I’d been booted but they kept Wayne. Walcott was known for his sheer speed on the pitch, and Lampard had the capability to get a ball clean into the net from weird angles. Also Rooney is here.
FIFA 11 (2010) – Kaka and Wayne Rooney
Just as Kaka gets onto a FIFA cover, his career had peaked. A respectable player, Kaka slowly started to fall off after this. Rooney continued to persist through the eons, undying.
FIFA 12 (2011) – Wayne Rooney and Jack Wilshere
Rooney this time decided to invite Jack Wilshere onto the cover with him, even though at this point Wilshere had a fractured ankle that kept him out of the season entirely. Shame.
FIFA 13 (2012) – Lionel Messi
So this year Wayne Rooney is posing with- wait, what? Rooney isn’t even on it? The end of an era, truly, and the beginning of one for Lionel Messi, another superstar that almost everyone has heard the name of, thanks to a career filled with goals that really speaks for itself. With this it seems that EA has finally decided to pick different players for each cover.
FIFA 14 (2013) – Lionel Messi
Oh.
FIFA 15 (2014) – Eden Hazard and Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is the new Rooney, and he decides who accompanies him on a FIFA cover. Eden Hazard is here, and would later become direct rivals, making this cover iconic.
FIFA 16 (2015) – Lionel Messi
There he is. At this point even Messi’s FUT card was dominant in the game.
FIFA 17 (2016) – Marco Reus
Messi had a good run. Not a Rooney run, but a good run. This year sees Marco Reus take the stage, and that makes him the first athlete to take the cover that isn’t accompanied by either Rooney or Messi in 11 years. Despite that, Reus didn’t actually play much that season, only appearing on the pitch 17 times.
FIFA 18 (2017) – Cristiano Ronaldo
Yes, you are looking at the new dominant FIFA cover star. Ronaldo often gets his name confused for Ronaldinho by those who don’t keep up, and you can’t blame the non-football fans, because he’s just as big. Ronaldo is an incredible player, and one of the most precious in and out of the game.
FIFA 19 (2018) – Cristiano Ronaldo
A man that renowned wouldn’t be satisfied with just one cover. Of course he needed a second.
FIFA 20 (2019) – Virgil van Dijk and Eden Hazard
We now have multiple covers, one starring Virgil van Dijk, and another with Eden Hazard. Sorry Ronaldo, you didn’t last as long as the others.
FIFA 21 (2020) – Kylian Mbappé
Mbappé has been unignorable in soccer since raising the World Cup trophy with his team in 2018. Since then he’s moved clubs and done incredible things, so he’s an obvious choice for the new cover star.
FIFA 22 (2021) – Kylian Mbappé
Yes, it’s Kylian Mbappé. He’s just that good, okay?
FIFA 23 (2022) – Kylian Mbappé and Sam Kerr
Now this is a revelation for FIFA. The recent FIFA 23 cover reveal features both Kylian Mbappé again, but also Chelsea’s Sam Kerr, marking the first time a woman made the cover of a FIFA game. This also celebrates FIFA 23’s inclusion of British and French women’s leagues, and a women’s World Cup. Took long enough.
Written by GLHF.
