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FIFA 21 Cover Athlete And New Box Art Style Revealed

FIFA 21's cover is getting a major overhaul, and its cover star is an extremely talented young player.

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FIFA 21 has revealed its cover star for this year's entry in EA Sports' long-running sport series, as well as the three cover styles for this year. Like Madden 21 and UFC 4, it's a stark departure from what has come before.

This year's cover star is Kylian Mbappé, the 21 year-old forward for Paris Saint-Germain. Mbappé is also on the French national team, and has won several acclaims over his career, including being named Golden Boy in 2017 and winning the Ligue 1 Player of The Year when he was just 20.

"Being on the cover of FIFA is a dream come true," Mbappé said in a statement.

From my time at Bondy to Clairefontaine to the World Cup, this marks another big milestone. I’ve been playing this game since I was a kid and I am honored to represent a whole new generation of footballers and be in the same group as many other amazing footballers who I now share this honor with."

You can see the cover of the standard edition below, which shows off multiple moments from Mbappé's career.

The cover for the standard edition of FIFA 21
The cover for the standard edition of FIFA 21

Covers for the Champions Edition and Ultimate Edition have also been revealed, and you can check those out in the gallery above. These editions come with a host of digital content, which we've covered in our preorder guide.

The FIFA series has not always switched its cover players with every entry. Wayne Rooney featured on FIFA 06 through to 12 (and alongside Ronaldinho from 06-09), while Lionel Messi was on the cover from 13-16.

In a statement sent to press, executive vice president of EA Sports Cam Weber explained this year's choice. "As our FIFA franchise accelerates towards the next generation of player experience, we know our cover athlete needs to truly embody both the future of our game and the future of football as a whole," he said. "Kylian represents what we’re bringing to the experience this year, from his commitment to advancing football culture, to his deep social connections and relentless desire to take his game to the next level."

FIFA 21 launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 9, alongside the Nintendo Switch Legacy Edition. The game will also come to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, neither of which have release dates set yet. A free upgrade path for the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions will be available for those who buy it on a current-gen console.

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