Will Lionel Messi be on the Cover of 'FIFA 17'?

FIFA 17 is likely to be out in the market by September but the real issue right now is who will be on the cover.

For the past years, Argentine star Lionel Messi has appeared on the game covers. He had been regularly appearing for FIFA 13, 14, 15 and 16, either by himself or with some of the other big stars in football but all that could change for the next game coming out later this year.

Apparently, the belief that Messi will no longer be on the covers stems from the fact that his contract with EA Sports had already lapsed.

French newspaper L’Quip believes that the Argentine star is unlikely to renew his ties with the gaming company which brings up the possibility of seeing a new star donning the game covers.

Other popular stars from the FIFA circuit have appeared in recent years but had to share the limelight with Messi. All that could change this year, particularly the gamers who are looking for a new face or at least a different star leading the EA FIFA 17 game cover.

So the next question right now is who? EA Sports may resort to a search as early as now and whoever that may be could be signed up to a similar multi-year deal.

One name that could replace Messi is Jamie Vardy of Leicester. Vardy has had an exceptional season thus far, highlighted by Ruud van Nistelrooy’s scoring record via consecutive Premier League games.

Aside from that, Sportskeeda sees Vardy as someone who could be considered. He seems to be the new star of the Premier League right now with his offensive plays, not to mention growing in popularity with his rise as well.

Now there are more names to consider on the part of EA Sports. There are other players like James Rodriguez of Real Madrid or even Sergio Aguero of Manchester City who could end up replacing Messi for the cover.

Going down further, there are other big names that could be considered as well. That includes striker Harry Kane (Tottenham), or even Jordan Henderson (Liverpool). Whoever gets the nod, EA Sports is certainly not short on possible names to replace the Argentine star.

FIFA 17 is likely to come out by September this year and will offer game versions for the PC, PS4 and the Xbox One. Whoever makes the covers, the game is expected to be another good performing one.