EA Sports announced German winger Marco Reus has been chosen as the FIFA 17 cover star, winning more votes than Anthony Martial of Manchester United, Chelsea star Eden Hazard and Real Madrid's James Rodriguez. The voting was staged on the FIFA Cover Vote page on their official website, which garnered a massive response of more than 3.1 million votes over the span of two weeks.
Reus, who plays for Borussia Dortmund, replaces Lionel Messi, who had been the global cover athlete for the popular video game series since 2012. Reus will be joined by other players on national/regional covers. Those players will be announced at later dates.
Also read: Breaking down the new FIFA 17 Trailer: 'Football has changed'
Releasing the news and announcing EA Sports’ intentions of covering a football star-in-the-making for their poster, Nick Channon, Senior Producer for EA SPORTS FIFA said, “It is incredible to see how fans get behind their favorite player – Marco plays for a great club, is really fun to watch, and he is very popular in FIFA Ultimate Team, so it makes a lot of sense that the fans picked him. Reus joins an elite group of international football superstars who have appeared on the cover of FIFA over the years.”
Reus was also recently named captain of Borussia Dortmund, and will be wearing the captain’s armband in the coming Bundesliga season. An elated Reus said in a tweet, “I’m honored to join a very distinguished group of footballers to appear on the cover of FIFA. Most of all I am humbled that the fans have chosen me, and I will strive to make them proud with my performance on the pitch.”
Marco Reus is slated to make a comeback from an injury that ruled him out of Die Mannschaft's Euro 2016 campaign. Reus was named Footballer of the Year in Germany in 2012 and has 29 appearances with the German National Team.
The Dortmund star is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous attackers in Europe and was heavily linked with a move to the Premier League, at Liverpool and Arsenal. However, his reunion with Jurgen Klopp did not materialise, while one with former Dortmund prodigy Mario Gotze has returned to the club this season.
Also read: Midfielder Goetze returns to Dortmund on four-year deal
FIFA 17 releases in North America on September 27 and worldwide on September 29 for Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One.
