FIFA Soccer 2008 - Who Will Be On The Cover?

FIFA Soccer 2008 - Who Will Be On The Cover?

Every year it’s the same. Who will we see on the cover of FIFA Soccer/Football this year?

I’ve previously covered the announcement of FIFA 2008 or FIFA Soccer 2008 as it will be known in the US. Now more details have surfaced.

Two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Barcolona’s Ronaldinho will headline a global lineup of superstar athletes to be featured on the front packs of FIFA Soccer 2008. Ronaldinho will be the center-piece of global packaging and marketing campaigns. He will also be placed on FIFA 2008 covers alongside star players from select teams around the world.

This means there will be a specific cover for selected countries. So who will it be? Well, the following list is the confirmed names.

The players appearing on the cover of FIFA Soccer 2008 in North America and the United Kingdom will be revealed next month. I’m not sure who it will be yet, but a guess could be Freddy Adu from Real Salt Lake and David Beckham from…well..LA Galaxy.

Now the goodness doesn’t stop here. EA also revealed that many of the players who will be appearing on its FIFA Soccer 2008 covers are participating in state-of-the-art body motion capture at a private facility in Barcelona, Spain. Cover stars Ronaldinho, Klose, Ramos, Barnetta, and Ivanschitz are being motion captured for the EA SPORTS FIFA videogame development team. The body movements, individual moves and playing style of each player is being captured, digitized and will become the life-like movement of the virtual players in future versions of EA’s FIFA Soccer games.

“We are proud to call some of the world’s best soccer athletes our partners. The access, guidance and insight they give us means that FIFA Soccer 08 will create a next gen experience that not only looks authentic, but that captures the emotion, finesse and beauty of the game,” said Joe Booth, senior producer for FIFA Soccer 08.

“Ronaldinho and all the FIFA Soccer 08 cover stars bring a passion for the sport that is raw and true. They enjoy helping us bring that real-world experience into the game,” said Matt Bilbey, International Director, EA SPORTS. “Their expert skills, commitment to success and passion for soccer inspire our development team and help us make FIFA Soccer 08 the most natural-feeling soccer videogame in the world.”

FIFA Soccer 2008 is scheduled for world wide release this fall on the Xbox 360, the PLAYSTATION 3, the PlayStation 2, Wii, Nintendo DS, PSP, PC and mobile.

Who do you think will be on the cover from the UK and US? Who should be on the cover from your country? Personally I think Michael Gravgaard from FC Copenhagen, Denmark should be on the Danish cover.

For further details and to discuss FIFA 08 please visit FIFA 2008 News.

Cristiano Ronaldo wows crowd in Man Utd win

Cristiano Ronaldo wows crowd in Man Utd win

By Mark Ogden in Seoul

Cristiano Ronaldo was handed Manchester United's No 7 shirt and a billing as the club's new clothes horse when he replaced David Beckham at Old Trafford in the summer of 2003.

Four years on, the Portuguese forward has undoubtedly claimed Beckham's place as the darling of the Far East, judging by the frenzied reception his every touch received in the 4-0 victory against FC Seoul yesterday. And, while Chelsea attempt to steal some of Beckham's thunder by providing the opponents for his LA Galaxy debut in California today, United are content to give America the cold shoulder as they prepare to enhance their brand awareness in more ripe and passionate regions.

Ronaldo, who has been treated to Beatles-like adulation since United arrived in the Far East on Monday and can probably only imagine what awaits when he touches down in the former Portuguese colony of Macau today, dazzled against Seoul by scoring one and making other goals for Wayne Rooney and Chris Eagles before Patrice Evra wrapped up the victory in the second half.

United's own research suggests that they have a staggering 75 million fans worldwide, 40.7 million of whom live in Asia as opposed to just 4.6 million in North America. Little wonder, then, that chief executive David Gill believes the American dream is one not worth pursuing.

He said: "Chelsea, over the last few years, have been having a great time in America, which is fine. But we do what's right for us and we're comfortable with the opportunities with our history, our ground, our heritage, the way we play football, etc. Those are key assets to Manchester United.

"Is America ever going to be as passionate as the Asian market? I wouldn't have thought so. You see what the following is like over here. You see all the coverage and the amazing support we have. There is huge interest.

"There's a lot of interest and appetite for Premier League football and for Manchester United in particular. That's where the Glazers see the growth and that's where we see the growth.

"Where next? I think Africa is an interesting one. There's clearly a great following for the Premier League in Africa and we are going back to South Africa next summer. There may be issues in certain countries, but nonetheless, there's a lot of money in Nigeria for example.

"There is a huge following for English football in Nigeria and, as more and more African players come to the Premier League, you can see that getting greater."

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has seen the club's star shine brightly countless times in the Far East, but even he has been taken aback by the reception the club have received in Seoul.

He said: "I'm sure we will be coming back to South Korea because the reception we have received has been excellent. It's a phenomenon that we can create in some parts of the world. We consider ourselves a major global brand. North Korea wouldn't be a problem for me and if the occasion arises and we get the right conditions, it won't be a problem. Vietnam is another area where we have great affection."

Match details

Manchester United (4-4-2): Van der Sar (Kuszczak h-t); Bardsley (Simpson h-t), Ferdinand, Vidic (Evans 76), Silvestre; Eagles, Carrick (Scholes h-t), O'Shea, Evra; Ronaldo (Smith h-t), Rooney (Giggs h-t).
Subs: Heaton, Brown, Fletcher.
Goals: Ronaldo (5), Eagles (18), Rooney (20), Evra (59).
Booked: Bardsley, Vidic, Scholes.