Jude Bellingham hoping to avoid becoming latest victim of ‘curse’ after being confirmed as EA Sports FC 25 cover star
Jude Bellingham's stunning first season at Real Madrid has seen him replace Erling Haaland on the front cover of EA Sports FC 25.
But he will be hoping to avoid the dreaded 'curse' that a number of stars have encountered after being confirmed as the face of the franchise.
13
The 22-year-old scooped both the LaLiga title and Champions League in his first campaign in Spain, where he chipped in with 23 games in all competitions.
And he also helped guide England to the Euro 2024 final where he scored twice in Germany, but failed to get his hands on his trophy with Spain emerging as 2-1 winners.
Bellingham's dazzling displays have now seen him become the new face of EA Sports' hit video game - formerly known as FIFA - which will be released on September 27.
Expressing his delight at the honour, Bellingham, the first Englishman to appear since FIFA 16, said: "I played this game with my brother all the time growing up.
READ MORE ON JUDE BELLINGHAM
"I've always thought about how incredible it would be to one day be featured on the cover.
"There have been so many iconic players on the cover over the years, and I am delighted to be the most recent English player to be bestowed with this honour since 2011."
David Platt was the first Englishman to appear on the cover (FIFA International Soccer 1993), followed by David Beckham in 1997 (FIFA: Road to World Cup 98).
Sol Campbell and Paul Scholes appeared on FIFA 2000 and FIFA 2001 respectively, with Wayne Rooney then featuring on every cover from FIFA 06-12, where he was joined by Theo Walcott and Frank Lampard in FIFA 10 and then Jack Wilshere for FIFA 12 with Jordan Henderson then on the front of FIFA 16.
Most read in Football
13
But many of those Three Lions stars - and foreign players - have been blighted by bad luck and off-the-pitch issues after being named on the cover.
Here marvelbet369.com takes a look at those that have been struck down by the 'curse'.
Jason Cundy says Jude Bellingham will surpass Paul Gascoigne's ability and backs England midfielder to win a Ballon d'Or in his career
David Beckham - FIFA: Road to World Cup 98
'Golden Balls' could do no wrong in 1997 after helping Manchester United retain the Premier League title, where he banged in 12 goals in all competitions.
But by the summer of 1998, he was public enemy No.1 in England following his red card in England's World Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of Argentina in France.
The Red Devils legend was shown a straight red card for a kick out at now-Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone.
Beckham's petulance occurred just after the break, resulting in England playing the rest of the game - and extra-time - with ten men before losing on penalties.
It took Beckham three years to get back in fans' good book after his late free-kick in the World Cup qualifier against Greece sent England to the World Cup, where he fully redeemed himself by scoring the winner against Argentina in the 2002 tournament.
13
Dennis Bergkamp - FIFA 99
The Arsenal icon went into the 1998/99 season on the back of scooping the Premier League and FA Cup - resulting in him being crowned as the PFA Player of the Year.
And while he scored 16 goals the following campaign, one moment in the FA Cup semi-final loss to Manchester United affected him for the rest of his career.
In what was effectively the last kick of normal time with the scores level at 1-1, Bergkamp had the chance to send the Gunners to another final, but had his penalty was saved by Peter Schmeichel.
Ryan Giggs would then go on to score an iconic solo goal where he slalomed through the Arsenal backline as United won 2-1 in extra-time, before completing a historic treble.
As for Bergkamp, he never took a penalty again in his career before retiring in north London in 2006.
13
Wayne Rooney - FIFA 06
Rooney's first of seven straight cover appearances came in FIFA 2006, where he remains the youngest star to appear front and centre at the age of 19.
Despite scoring twice in the League Cup final win over Wigan, Rooney picked up a metatarsal injury at Chelsea in April 2006 which threatened to rule him out of the World Cup.
He won his race to be involved, but never looked fully fit as he failed to score in the tournament, before he had his 'Beckham moment' in the quarter-final defeat to Portugal.
While Beckham kicked Simeone, Rooney stomped on Ricardo Carvalho, with Portugal going on to win on penalties, just as Argentina did eight years earlier.
13
Theo Walcott - FIFA 10
The ex-Arsenal winger was marred by injuries throughout the 2009/10 campaign, restricting him to just 15 starts in all competitions.
It took him until December to play his first full match, with Walcott struggling for consistency as he battled his knocks - scoring just four goals in 30 matches.
It led Fabio Capello to leave him out his England squad for the 2010 World Cup - a decision that shocked Lionel Messi.
The Argentina legend said at the time: "I must say that at the time I thought it was a bad decision to leave Theo Walcott at home, and I think that has been proved right.
"I can only speak from experience but he was one of the most dangerous players I have ever played against."
13
Kaka - FIFA 11
Brazilian maestro Kaka finally graced the cover after his opening season at Real Madrid.
But by that point, his career was already on the decline, with a knee injury resulting in him not featuring for Los Blancos until January 2011.
He then suffered a knee setback shortly later, limiting him to just 14 LaLiga appearances.
13
Jack Wilshere - FIFA 12
Having burst into the Arsenal team the previous season, big things were expected of the young midfielder.
And while he enjoyed a successful spell at the Emirates Stadium, injuries saw Wilshere retire from football aged just 30 in 2022 - with his first major setback occurring in 2011.
He suffered a stress fracture in his ankle during a pre-season game against New York Red Bulls, which saw him miss the entirety of the 2011/12 campaign.
It also saw him ruled out of featuring for England at Euro 2012 and for Team GB at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
13
Lionel Messi and Jordan Henderson - FIFA 16
Even Messi, who by FIFA 16 was making his fourth appearance on the cover, was fell victim to the 'curse'.
He missed in the Copa America final penalty shootout defeat to Chile, where he blazed his effort over the bar, which led to him to retire from international.
Messi made a U-turn on his decision, where he has since captained the South American nation to three successive major tournament victories, including the 2022 World Cup.
Meanwhile, Henderson endured a difficult 2015/16 term in his first season as Liverpool captain, with injuries restricting him to just 17 top-flight appearances.
The Reds' poor form led to Jurgen Klopp replacing sacked Brendan Rodgers in October, with the Reds finishing in eighth spot, while also losing in both the League Cup and Europa League finals.
13
Marco Reus - FIFA 17
Reus was the first player in 11 years that didn't feature either Rooney or Messi on the cover.
But unfortunately for the Borussia Dortmund icon, he was the next to fall victim to the injury curse.
He mustered just 17 Bundesliga outings, with his absence playing a huge part in BVB finishing 18 points behind champions Bayern Munich.
13
Cristiano Ronaldo - FIFA 19
Ronaldo made the front cover for the second year having won his fifth Champions League.
The 39-year-old had just transferred to Juventus from Real Madrid, with off-field drama resulting in him being pulled as the face during the 2018/19 season.
The decision was made following allegations of rape, with Neymar, Kevin De Bruyne and Paulo Dybala subsequently replacing him. The lawsuit against Ronaldo was later dropped by a US judge.
13
Eden Hazard - FIFA 20
The Belgian winger was expected to set the world alight at Real Madrid following his initial initial £88.3million move from Chelsea.
But despite Real winning the title in 2020, Hazard enjoyed a nightmare season on a personal note.
Multiple injuries saw him play just 22 games in all competitions, where he found the back of the net just once.
And he himself admitted that his opening year in Spain was the 'worst of my career'.
13
Kylian Mbappe - FIFA 21
For the first time in his Paris Saint-Germain career, he failed to win the Ligue 1 title, with his side being pipped by Lille to the crown.
Read More on talkSPORT
And he then drew a blank for France at the delayed Euro 2020, where he failed to score a single goal.
Mbappe then missed against Switzerland in the last 16 penalty shootout, which saw Les Bleus make a shock early exit.
13
Topics