FIFA covers: all FIFA cover athletes

Reminisce about your favorite FIFA covers with our list of every cover athlete to grace the series

FIFA covers – there’s a lot of them. Getting your face and body plastered on one is among the highest accolades in the sport. In a sense, it makes you the international face of soccer, held up as one of the most exciting athletes.

If you want a sense of who the biggest soccer star of each year was, you only need to look back at the FIFA cover of that year. Luckily for you, that’s exactly what we’re about to do here. So before FIFA as a game series vanishes into the abyss, let’s look back over the last 30 years of cover stars.

FIFA covers: FIFA International Soccer

David Platt and Piotr Swierczewski

Alright, EA, we get it: it’s your first FIFA game. Still, you could have gone to more effort for the cover stars here, instead of putting two random dudes on the box and calling it a day. No offense to the dudes.

FIFA covers: FIFA Soccer 95

Erik Thorstvedt

The Norwegian goalkeeper is a bit of a strange choice for a FIFA cover, but you can’t deny it’s an excellent photo.

FIFA covers: FIFA Soccer 96

Andy Legg and Ioan Sabau

Another year, another action shot. The guy on the receiving end of this slide tackle probably didn’t even dive. Men in 1995 simply took the studs to the leg and sprinted on.

FIFA covers: FIFA 97

David Ginola

Now we’re getting closer to a proper FIFA cover. Ginola is also a more fitting player to put on the box, but that black and white kit isn’t very exciting is it?

FIFA covers: FIFA Road to World Cup 98

David Beckham

This is more like the kind of star power we’d come to expect from the series. Both the best and worst timing for Beckham’s FIFA debut, EA put him on a pedestal as the hero who would lead the English international team to victory, but he was instead characterized as the one who messed it all up. Of course, he’s doing alright for himself these days.

FIFA covers: FIFA 99

Dennis Bergkamp

Soccer fans of this era know why Bergkamp deserves a spot on this cover. Unlike Beckham, he even made it over with his sponsorships intact.

FIFA covers: FIFA 2000

Sol Campbell

He might have forgotten to bring his kit to the photo shoot, but he’s the first defender to appear on a FIFA cover.

FIFA covers: FIFA 2001

Paul Scholes

Scholes’ career didn’t exactly change the game in any meaningful way, but he’s a respectable enough choice for the front of the box. Shame about the kit.

FIFA covers: FIFA Football 2002

Thierry Henry

The first wave of a new breed of football superstar, Thierry Henry defined this era of football. We can still hear the chants.

FIFA covers: FIFA Football 2003

Roberto Carlos, Ryan Giggs, and Edgar Davids

Dope album cover, guys.

FIFA covers: FIFA Football 2004

Alessandro Del Piero, Thierry Henry, and Ronaldinho

Thierry Henry landed the honor of being the first player to be featured twice, but he had to share this time.

FIFA covers: FIFA Football 2005

Patrick Vieira, Fernando Morientes, and Andriy Shevchenko

While the previous cover of trios all became superstars in their own right, this bunch didn’t quite have the same impact on the sport.

FIFA 06

Wayne Rooney and Ronaldinho

These two are going to show up a lot. Even today, Rooney is one of soccer’s biggest names, and even non-soccer fans know who Ronaldinho is. It’s also nice that EA put some effort into making this cover less boring looking.

FIFA covers: FIFA 07

Wayne Rooney and Ronaldinho

They’re back again and all dried off.

FIFA covers: FIFA 08

Wayne Rooney and Ronaldinho

Same guys, different angle. One angry, one happy.

FIFA covers: FIFA 09

Ronaldinho and Wayne Rooney

Ah, they’ve swapped sides now. That’ll do it.

FIFA covers: FIFA 10

Theo Walcott, Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard

Poor Ronaldinho. Rooney must have been happy, mind.

FIFA covers: FIFA 11

Kaka and Wayne Rooney

Kaka’s career peaked here. Rooney endured.

FIFA covers: FIFA 12

Wayne Rooney and Jack Wilshere

Wilshere had a fractured ankle that kept him out of the season entirely, but it was nice of Rooney to invite him along for the cover.

FIFA covers: FIFA 13

Lionel Messi

Rooney’s back again, and this time he’s… wait, Rooney isn’t here? Wow. Finally, now we can get a different athlete on each cover. Lionel Messi, you’ll be missed, but it’s for the best.

FIFA covers: FIFA 14

Lionel Messi

Oh.

FIFA covers: FIFA 15

Eden Hazard and Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi is the new Rooney. Eden Hazard joins him here, but the pair would later become rivals. What a cover.

FIFA covers: FIFA 16

Lionel Messi

Even Messi’s FUT card was dominating the game at this point, so it’s no wonder EA couldn’t let go.

FIFA cards: FIFA 17

Marco Reus

He didn’t have quite as long a run as Rooney, but Messi still had a good one. Marco Reus was the first athlete to get a FIFA cover without being accompanied by Messi or Rooney or Messi in 11 years. Hilarious considering he didn’t play a single match all season.

FIFA covers: FIFA 18

Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo is an incredible player – one of the best – and he became the new dominant FIFA cover star when FIFA 18 rolled around.

FIFA covers: FIFA 19

Cristiano Ronaldo

Thus ends Ronaldo’s run. Short and sweet, at least he got two entire covers to himself.

FIFA covers: FIFA 20

Virgil van Dijk and Eden Hazard

Now we’re onto multiple covers, one starring Virgil van Dijk, and another with Eden Hazard. Both looking very serious.

FIFA covers: FIFA 21

Kylian Mbappé

Mbappé has been a dominant force since raising the World Cup trophy with his team in 2018, so he’s the obvious choice as the new face of FIFA.

FIFA covers: FIFA 22

Kylian Mbappé

Yes, it’s Kylian Mbappé. He looks like he’s having a great time.

FIFA covers: FIFA 23

Kylian Mbappé and Sam Kerr

It might have felt like a new era when Rooney vanished from the FIFA cover, but this really is a big step forward for soccer. Mbappé is back again, but he’s joined by Chelsea’s Sam Kerr, marking the first time a woman made the cover. It’s about time.