Cristiano Ronaldo has been relegated to a minor role in EA Sports’ new promo video for FIFA 19. The Portuguese forward, 33, recently disappeared from online branding for the popular game, following an allegation of rape.
Ronaldo is the cover star of the latest edition of the game, which was released on September 28. But he is not even the most prominent Juventus player in new footage posted today.
The Italian champions’ striker Paulo Dybala and Manchester City ace Kevin De Bruyne appear at the beginning of the star-studded new promo.
The silky skills and celebrations of Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar feature heavily during the first half of it, before Dybala thunders home a volley.
But Ronaldo is part of gameplay footage for under five seconds in the one-and-a-half-minute clip, seen flicking the ball past De Bruyne in one segment and then firing in against Bayern Munich in another.
The former Real Madrid man’s lack of involvement is in stark contrast to that from a previous video watched by over 11.5 million, released just before the start of the World Cup.
Ronaldo, still a Real Madrid player, was the main focus of that one. He has featured on the cover of the Fifa franchise for the last two years.EA Sports reveal FIFA 19 have exclusive gaming rights to Champions League in first trailer with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo denies raping Kathryn Mayorga, 34, in a Las Vegas hotel in 2009 and maintains the sex was consensual. His lawyers said documents which claim to show Ronaldo acknowledging he had sex with Kathryn Mayorga without her consent had been altered.
In a statement, lawyer Peter S Christiansen has said the documents are “pure invention” and have been fabricated by hackers.The lawyer’s claims come after German magazine Der Spiegal published an interview with accuser Kathryn Mayorga and documents which allege Ronaldo agreed to pay her £287,000 as part of a non-disclosure agreement in 2010.
Mr Christiansen said the Portuguese forward faced “an elaborate and deliberate defamation campaign based on stolen, easily manipulated digital documents”.