'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
What’s the story?
EA Sports have unveiled Eden Hazard and Virgil van Dijk as the cover stars for FIFA 20. The two stars were phenomenal last season and won the Europa League and Champions League respectively.
In case you didn’t know…
EA Sports had Cristiano Ronaldo as the cover star for FIFA 19 initially but dropped him after a case was reopened against him. They replaced him with Paulo Dybala, Neymar and Kevin de Bruyne within a month.
While the case against the Juventus star has been dropped, he still does not feature on the cover this season as his club will be having a generic name, crest (logo) and stadium in FIFA 20.
Also read: Why Juventus are called Piemonte Calcio in FIFA 20
Dybala might have also been dropped for the same reason, and moreover, his future at the Italian club is also in the balance. Neymar also faces a similar situation while Kevin de Bruyne was not at his best last season due to injuries.
The heart of the matter
Eden Hazard and Virgil van Dijk will be the cover stars for FIFA 20, EA Sports confirmed on Friday. Hazard will be on the cover for the Standard editions while Van Dijk will be the face of the Champions editions. EA Sports are yet to unveil the face of their Ultimate Editions.
The Belgian lead Chelsea to the Europa League last season and got his dream move to Real Madrid this summer. He is expected to get a rating boost as well in FIFA 20, thanks to his phenomenal season, his move to Real Madrid and because he is the cover star.
Virgil van Dijk also had a dream season and was a rock at the back. He helped Liverpool with the Champions League and also finish as runners-up in the Premier League. He too is expected to get a rating boost to 89 or 90.
What’s next?
EA Sports will reveal the face of the Ultimate Edition soon, but rumours suggest it could be Megan Rapinoe. The game is available via pre-order and will be playable from September 24th but if you have EA Access, the game will be playable from September 19th.
