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EA Sports Issue Statement Regarding The Removal Of Cristiano Ronaldo From FIFA 19 Branding

EA Sports Issue Statement Regarding The Removal Of Cristiano Ronaldo From FIFA 19 Branding

Ronaldo was dropped from the FIFA 19 front cover...

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

EA Sports have issued a statement explaining why Cristiano Ronaldo was removed from the front cover of FIFA 19.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star featured on the cover last year and graced it again when FIFA 19 came out in September but he's been dropped from the latest box art as well as various other branding.

Instead, Neymar, who had been on the Champions Edition, is joined by Ronaldo's Juventus teammate Paulo Dybala and Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne.

"Get ready for the return of the UEFA Champions League with amazing new content in FIFA 19," EA said on its website.

"With special Champions League kits and player items, as well as your choice of a Neymar Jr, Kevin De Bruyne or Paulo Dybala ten-match loan item for your team, there's no better time to get started in FIFA 19!"

The same trio have replaced Ronaldo on the in-game menu but EA say it's just part of their reband to go along with the return of the Champions League knockout stages.

"With the UEFA Champions League coming to EA Sports FIFA 19 this year, we have a unique opportunity to offer a range of new content to players that reflects the real-world excitement of football," an EA spokesperson told EuroGamer.

"We often celebrate different talent across our sports games, and with the UEFA Champions League knockout stages underway we are featuring some of the biggest stars in football and bringing new players a range of content to get excited about."

There has of course been the rape allegation against Ronaldo, along with the five-time Ballon d'Or accepting a hefty £16.6 million fine for tax evasion in January.

But EA have not commented on either matter and instead say his removal is merely down to them going in a different direction.

It will be interesting to see whether or not he is front and centre on FIFA 20. FIFPlay have been running a poll on their site and at the time of writing, Ronaldo is narrowly losing out to Spurs' Heung-Min Son in the voting.

Image: FIFPlay
Image: FIFPlay
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Topics: Football News, GAMING, Football, FIFA, FIFA 19, Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala, EA Sports, Kevin de Bruyne, Cristiano Ronaldo