Landing on the front cover of a FIFA game is a good way for footballers to promote themselves as a brand or an icon. Earlier this week, EA officially confirmed that the Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo is going to the grace the cover of FIFA 18. EA also launched a teaser trailer titled "Fuelled by Ronaldo" to show that he will be playing an important role in the new game.
However, it was surprising when EA announced that FIFA 18 will not be available on the Nintendo Switch. Instead, the Switch will be getting their own custom built version of FIFA 18 which will be sold under the title EA Sports FIFA. This version of the game is very different from FIFA 18 and won't feature game modes such as The Journey and is not built using a Frostbite. This has led fans to that among many other differences, EA Sports FIFA will also feature a different cover star.
The word on the street is that Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic is favoured to be the face of the Switch’s first FIFA game. Ibrahimovic is very popular among his fans thanks to his sly footwork, humorous press conferences and his unwavering confidence. While most players lose their charm as they grow older, Zlatan has proven he is a force to be reckoned with despite being in his mid-30s.
According to an EA Sports source, Ibrahimovic is a strong contender to become the cover star for the Switch version but there are some complexities to that, considering his recent injury problems and Manchester United's decision to not extend his one-year contract.
However, there is also a possibility that his recent knee injury would reduce his chances to be on the cover of FIFA 18. Nonetheless, he is a legendary player. Playing for Sweden, Ibrahimovic has accumulated around 50 goals in over 100 appearances. He was also awarded a Goal of the Year by FIFA in 2013 for an amazing bicycle kick against England. Being on the cover would prove positive for the legend and would be a good way for EA to acknowledge his contribution to professional football.
FIFA 18 is scheduled to release on 29th September for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Given that EA has not given any additional details about EA Sports FIFA, it is very much possible that it won't launch on the same day. We are likely to get more details about EA Sports FIFA, it’s cover star and features during the EA Play event on June 10th at E3 2017.
