The United State's best ever soccer player, one of the world's best strikers, and a mediocre Mexican. Sure, it may be more for that sexiness factor, but both know who he is and what he does, and would buy PES 2012 just by seeing him.
My brother's girlfriend has never kicked a soccer ball unless forced to, and maybe watched a total of 30 minutes of professional soccer in her life - but she knows who Ronaldo is.
A Landon Donovan would do wonders alongside both of these stars - even if he isn't half as good as either of them. Sure, a lot of casual watchers of the sport will know the overseas stars more than they know their country's starting 11, but don't underestimate the excitement of the general public when the national team participates in the World Cup. However, this is America, and there aren't any players from the good ol' red, white and blue. He's flashy and catches your eye I don't care if he looks like a porcupine or hedgehog, you will notice that cover. After I'm done with my David Villa hair cut, I too may sport the Neymar look. All my Hispanic American, soccer-loving friends know him, and a lot of them will try to emulate his hair if they haven't already. I think a Mexican star - Chicharito (Javier Hernandez) being the most popular as of late amongst my Mexican brethren - would have been a better selection.īut as a Hispanic American, I know who Neymar is. At first I wasn't so sure he was the one developer Konami should put on the North American cover. The other athlete on the cover, Neymar, is a huge up-and-comer that may soon join Ronaldo at Real Madrid in Spain. Find me someone who doesn't buy things based on pretty people on the cover and I'll find you a liar. But he's a class above most players - even if he has an ego the size of the moon - and a perfect choice to have on a cover as he is both popular and attractive. I used to hate him as a player because he was obsessed with one of soccer's biggest criticisms - the dreaded dive. He's ungodly talented on the ball, has the face of a model and the build of a prize fighter. If I'm a parent or friend looking to buy a soccer game for my friend who always seems to be sporting a Lionel Messi jersey, which one grabs my attention? Aside from that, what do soccer and video game fans see?ĭamn am I lost in Christiano Ronaldo's awesome manliness.
Soccer stars grace each cover, but who wins out this year? I've played both demos, and have played each series for countless years, but let's throw something that may or may not really matter into the mix - the covers.