EA FC has picked up the mantle from EA’s prior FIFA franchise, and while we’re still calling it the latter almost daily (it’s an accident, I promise), the series’ history is worth remembering.
After all, we’ve had literal decades of footballing fun thanks to their combined efforts, and whichever era of the sport you fell in love with, there’s a good chance there’s a FIFA or EA FC cover tied to it, particularly if your club was ever lucky enough to have a cover star.
Here we’ve ranked some of the finest EA FC and FIFA cover stars.
5. FIFA 06
How times have changed, eh? While FIFA 06 proudly boasts that it holds the ‘Exclusive FIFA Licence’, EA and FIFA have gone their separate ways now.
Still, it was enough to hold off the challenge of Pro Evolution (as it was at the time), which was in many ways a much better game in 2005/2006. Still, whatever your thoughts, this rain-drenched cover starred Wayne Rooney and Ronaldinho as two players you could easily identify from a quick glance, and who would go on to co-star on a few more covers, too.
4. FIFA 14 (PS4 And Xbox One)
It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade since the jump from PS3 and Xbox 360 to PS4 and Xbox One, and while the prior generation versions of FIFA 14 got a pretty by-the-numbers shot of Messi running around, the new generation got a more detailed look at the Argentine maestro.
Not only that, but it was a CGI version of Messi that may as well have shouted “look how good our game looks now,” promising a move to a fresh generation that held so much promise.
3. FIFA Football 2005
Remember when the official name was FIFA Football? That always felt weird, but the 2005 edition of the series, which pushed its big new “first touch” feature, had some real star power on the cover.
Nothing screams “2005 football vintage” like Patrick Vieira fresh from captaining the Arsenal Invincibles (right before his move to Juventus), Fernando Morientes before he moved to Liverpool, and AC Milan hotshot Andriy Shevchenko before his ill-fated move to Chelsea just one year later.
2. FIFA 2003
It’s taking everything in me not to give it to FIFA 99‘s Bergkamp cover, but FIFA 2003 remains so close to the pinnacle of cover stars that it might well be top if this author wasn’t an Arsenal fan.
FIFA 2003 featured a trifecta of Ryan Giggs, Roberto Carlos, and Edgar Davids, meaning no strikers on the list — that was already pretty rare. Between David’s iconic goggles, Roberto Carlos in his Brazil kit, and Giggs at the height of his powers, you’d be over the moon to have this lineup in EA FC 25’s Rush mode.
1. FIFA Football 2004
It had to be, didn’t it? Between Juve’s De Piero coming off the back of 16 league goals in 24 league games, Ronaldinho making La Liga defenders look a bit silly, and some French lad scoring 30 goals in the Premier League on the way to a league title for Arsenal, FIFA Football 2004‘s cover (it still hits the ear wrong) is the peak of covers.
Did we get it wrong? Let us know!
Published: Oct 16, 2024 11:45 am