Staggering detail in Sam Kerr photo as Aussie makes football history
Aussie football superstar Sam Kerr has become the first female to feature on the EA Sports global cover for their widely played electronic game.
The Aussie and Chelsea striker features alongside PSG forward Kylian Mbappe on the cover of the game.
'SHAME ON YOU': Football world in uproar over 'disgusting' act
'EMBARRASSING': Controversy erupts over detail in Aussie football photo
Kerr enjoyed her best season to date having won the 2021 Women's Super League golden boot award for Chelsea and also the PFA's Players' Player of the Year award.
She scored 32 goals in all competitions for Chelsea this season and helped them win back-to-back WSL trophies.
Kerr is also the captain of the Matildas.
Previous global editions of the cover featured Mbappe by himself in 2021 and 2022, after football icons Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi featured on the cover for a number of years.
Kerr is not the first woman on a FIFA edition, or even the first Matilda.
Steph Catley was on the cover of the Australian version of FIFA16, produced around the time of the 2015 Women's World Cup.
Alex Morgan appeared on the American edition and Christine Sinclair the Canadian.
Sam Kerr's historic FIFA moment a step forward
However Kerr's inclusion on the global feature was a huge step forward for the sport and was recognised on social media.
Chelsea's Sam Kerr becomes the first female player to feature on the global cover of a FIFA game (FIFA 23 Ultimate Edition Global). Quite huge given the cultural impact of the game! #CFCW #CFC pic.twitter.com/a8am4m0TF2
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) July 18, 2022
Sam Kerr is the first women's footballer to feature on the Global @EASPORTSFIFA cover. 🫡#FIFA23 https://t.co/4Ong6kcdbX
— Squawka (@Squawka) July 18, 2022
Sam Kerr becomes the first female player to feature on a global FIFA cover 🙌
Huge achievement @samkerr1 💙 pic.twitter.com/JuSkNSBcJg— CFC-Blues (@CFCBlues_com) July 18, 2022
Incredible: EA Sports reveals Sam Kerr on cover of FIFA 23 alongside Kylian Mbappe. Kerr becomes first woman to be featured on front of the powerhouse game. Significant cultural moment. May many more follow in her footsteps 💙🇦🇺🙌 https://t.co/ErdlUAt18K
— roger bennett (@rogbennett) July 18, 2022
THE FIFA 23 COVER 😍
A world class striker, an idol for so many young people and someone who would fit into virtually every side on the planet...
Oh and some French guy? 😉
🎵We've got Sam Kerr🎵 #FIFA23 #SamKerr https://t.co/PiR77tPB7f— The CFCW Social (@TheCFCWSocial) July 18, 2022
Changing the game one cover at a time 🙌 @samkerr1 makes history as the first woman footballer on the cover of @EASPORTSFIFA ⚽️ https://t.co/CPblKiPCv9
— TOGETHXR (@togethxr) July 18, 2022
Being on the cover is a significant step for women's football and Kerr, who has scored 56 goals in 108 appearances for Australia.
The video game has sold an estimated 350 million-plus copies since its launch with annual editions usually racking up around 30 million sales either in physical or digital versions.
Leading footballers are known to participate and, sometimes, even complain to the makers about their grading.
The Ultimate Edition of FIFA is a premium version with added features.
The game's release date is as yet unknown but is expected to be late September.
with AAP
Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.