Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite will be the global cover star for EA Sports' FIFA 11. You might know him better as Kaka, the 28-year-old Brazilian star for Real Madrid.
FIFA's covers shift from region to region, accommodating the global nature of the sport, but Kaka will be the unifying player for all of them. Seventeen other players will get cover placement with him when the game releases Sept. 28 in North America and Oct. 1 in Europe and Asia.
FIFA 11's big push is making its players more identifiable, and not just in their visual appearance, but also in how they perform on the field, so Kaka's selection is also a statement that EA Sports intends to deliver his signature style of play.
"With Kaka's visionary style of soccer he's always one step ahead of the opposition, moving into space with an often subtle change of pace and delivering crisp, creative one-touch passes and catching the goalkeepers off guard with strikes often from distance on either foot," Matt Bilbey, EA Sports' vice president of football, said in a statement.
Other cover athletes and game features will be announced in the coming month.