Kylian Mbappe has been the star of FIFA covers since FIFA 21. For three years running, Mbappe has been the face of FIFA games. But now with the contract between FIFA and EA Sports ending, EA Sports will be releasing the game by the name of EA FC where many thought Mbappe would remain as the cover star.
In the first pic that was officially launched there were no signs of Mbappe in the group of players one can see. After the reveal trailer fans also noticed the absence of the Frenchman from all the promotional posters.
Even in the PSG x EA FC 24 video, which confirms that PSG and their official stadium are in the game, there was no footage showing the French winger which came as an even bigger surprise and sends a message that EA is currently avoiding keeping Mbappe anywhere near the promotional stuff before the release of the game.
Even in the recent gameplay launch event that took place in Amsterdam, new cover star Erling Haaland was invited but not Kylian Mbappe.
The Changing Face of FIFA: From Mbappe to Haaland
In the reveal trailer and official pictures uploaded online, fans were quick to notice there was no sign of the French and PSG superstar. Nor was he seen in the poster of the Ultimate Edition and the Champions Edition of the game. It was very clear that Manchester City forward Erling Haaland has replaced Mbappe as the new cover star of the game.
According to leaks, it was revealed that EA Sports believes the Norwegian had a better season overall by helping Man City win the treble and scoring 52 goals in all competitions along the way, which made him the first choice to be the cover star of the football game.
It was also speculated that this is due to the contract between EA Sports and Mbappe ending as the EA Logo is no longer there on Mbappe’s official website. In the official trailer that portrayed 31 players both past and present, no signs of Mbappe reveals that there is a lot more to the story.
The Impact of Transfers on FIFA Covers
Back in 2018, it was announced that Cristiano Ronaldo was going to be the cover star of FIFA for the second time in a row and EA had made all the promotional posters and reveal trailers where Ronaldo was seen wearing a Real Madrid shirt.
But just 2 months before the release of the game, it was announced that Ronaldo is leaving Madrid to join Juventus. EA was forced to make many of the necessary changes to make Ronaldo appear in a white and black shirt and not a full white one.
This was of huge hassle to EA Sports as it was already too late to change the cover star. Kylian Mbappe’s contract situation is extremely tricky right now as his future is very much uncertain.
With Mbappe’s future club hanging in the balance, EA didn’t want to take the risk of making him the Cover star otherwise they had to face similar problems that they did back in 2018.
This is also the reason why Mbappe even didn’t appear during the exclusive PSG x EAFC’24 video. This argument can be further supported by the fact that almost all of the players shown in the trailer or on the cover of the Ultimate Edition and Champions Edition will be playing for their current clubs.