Sam Kerr becomes first female player to be on global cover of a FIFA game
By Ben Morse, CNN
Australia striker Sam Kerr will become the first female player to feature on the global front cover of the popular football game, FIFA.
The Chelsea forward will feature alongside Paris St-Germain star Kylian Mbappé on the cover of FIFA 23 for the global edition.
“Two phenomenal forces up front. One ultimate strike partnership,” EA Sports FIFA wrote in the announcement on Twitter with a picture of the cover art.
While Kerr is the first female player to be featured on the cover of the global edition of the game, she’s not the first woman on a FIFA game cover as a whole.
Women players have appeared on regional editions of the popular game, with the USWNT’s Alex Morgan and Canada’s Christine Sinclair featured alongside Lionel Messi in their respective countries. Australian Steph Catley on the cover of the country’s version of FIFA 16.
Kerr joined Chelsea in 2019, playing a key part in helping the club to three successive Women’s Super League titles since.
The 28-year-old won the Golden Boot last season with 20 goals in 20 league games, leading the club to a domestic double with the league title and an FA Cup victory.
She was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) Player of the Year for her performances.
Kerr made her international debut for Australia when she was 15 years old. She is now the captain of the current Matildas side.
She is the first Australian, male or female, ever to score a hat-trick at a World Cup as she totaled five goals in all at the 2019 World Cup in France.
Kerr has scored 56 goals in her 108 caps for the Australia national team.
For France’s World Cup winner Mbappé, it is the third straight year in which he’s featured on the front cover, having appeared in 2021 and 2022.
This year’s edition of the game is the last to be produced with FIFA branding as football’s governing body and EA Sports’ partnership comes to an end after 30 years.
The-CNN-Wire
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