Ronaldinho Headlines FIFA 08 Cover Athletes

Electronic Arts  today announced that two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho will headline a global lineup of superstar athletes to be featured on the front packs of FIFA 08, the next chapter in the internationally acclaimed videogame franchise that will be available this Autumn for the Xbox 360 and other gaming systems.

The spotlight will shine on FC Barcelona’s world-class midfielder Ronaldinho who will be the center-piece of FIFA 08 global packaging and marketing campaigns. Selected FIFA World Player 2004 and 2005, and a finalist last season, Ronaldinho will take his place on FIFA 08 covers alongside star players from other select teams in countries around the world.

Ronaldinho will join 2006 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner Miroslav Klose of Werder Bremen on packaging in Germany, rising star Sergio Ramos of Real Madrid on the cover in Spain, attacking midfielder and captain of the Austrian national team Andreas Ivanschitz of Panathinaikos FC on the cover in Austria, and Swiss national Tranquillo Barnetta of Bayer Leverkusen on front packaging in Switzerland. Midfielder Florent Malouda of Olympique Lyonnais and winger Frank Ribery of Olympique Marseille will be paired with Ronaldinho on covers in France. The athletes appearing on the cover of FIFA 08 in North America and the United Kingdom will be revealed next month.
             
EA also revealed that many of the players who will be appearing on its FIFA 08 covers are participating in state-of-the-art body motion capture today at a private facility in Barcelona, Spain. Cover stars Ronaldinho, Klose, Ramos, Barnetta, and Ivanschitz are being motion captured today for the EA SPORTS FIFA videogame development team. The body movements, individual moves and playing style of each athlete is being captured, digitized and will become the life-like movement of the virtual players in future versions of EA’s FIFA games.

"We are proud to call some of the world’s best football athletes our partners. The access, guidance and insight they give us means that FIFA 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 08. “Through sessions like today, and the continued investment in our next gen football engine, our world-class development team continues to revolutionize the authentic gameplay experience.”

“Ronaldinho and all the FIFA 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 football inspire our development team and help us make FIFA 08 the most natural-feeling football videogame in the world.”