The people have spoken, and it looks Chivas is still the most popular team in Mexico.
The votes have been counted and 25-year-old Chivas midfielder Marquito Fabián came out on top as the player chosen to appear on the cover of EA Sports’ FIFA 16 game in Mexico, along with Lionel Messi. So despite the haters, the scandal, and the losses, it seems safe to say that Chivas is undoubtedly still the most popular team in Mexico, and that Marquito Fabian, who had a terrible Copa America, is still the fans’ sweetheart.
In an election of close to 3 million votes, Fabian beat out top of players like America’s Oribe Peralta (who scored a hat-trick yesterday), Argentinean naturalized-Mexican Chaco Gimenez, and Chuletita Orozco (who scored 4 goals in the last Liga MX final).
Fabian will now be joining Memo Ochoa, Rafael Márquez, Chicharito Hernandez, Cuahtemoc Blanco, Carlos Vela, Kikin Fonseca, and Omar Bravo on the list of notorious Mexican players to have been featured on the cover of the game franchise.
The Latin American edition (Central and South America) will feature Colombian midfielder Juan Cuadrado, who was elected from a group of players that included Argentinean Sergio Agüero, Chilean Claudio Bravo, and Uruguayan Edinson Cavani.
On a positive note for gender equality in a sport which disproportionally favors men, the Australian cover will feature Steph Catley, who will therefore become the first woman ever to appear on the game’s cover.
The United States version of the game is not up to a vote, so EA Sports will have the opportunity to put another woman on a game cover, and with the U.S. just having claimed the World Cup title, this is more than an opportunity – it’s a mandate.
The 2015 World Cup title also meant that the United States became the team with the most Women’s World Cup titles (3), so what better way to celebrate it than by putting a player on the cover of FIFA 16.
With six goals, midfielder Carli Loyd tied as Top Scorer of the tournament and scored 3 goals in the first 20 minutes of the final, so she’s an ideal candidate, but with Abby Wambach, Hope Solo, Alex Morgan, and Megan Rapinoe also on the team, finding a suitable candidate should definitely not be a problem.