Konami has announced that Neymar Jr will be joining the Pro Evolution Soccer franchise as their newest ambassador, ahead of PES 2022.
So, does this mean that the Brazillian baller is now the front-runner to become the Cover Star of PES 2022?
Check out what we know below.
Neymar joins the PES franchise
The official PES Twitter account, @officialpes, has just announced that PSG star Neymar Jr has become the newest ambassador for the PES series!
This also means that Konami has secured the full rights to Neymar Jr in PES 2022.
The tweet features a high definition image of Neymar, which looks to be in line with the outstanding graphics that Unreal Engine will bring to PES 2022, as we've seen concept designs for Gareth Bale and Lionel Messi on the new engine.
In the official press release, Neymar made the following statement:
"I am honoured to have signed a contract with KONAMI. I would like to continue playing with passion and stir up much excitement in the world of soccer along with the PES and Winning Eleven series!"
Neymar to be PES 2022 Cover Star?
For the last two years, the PES cover stars have gone from the four main partner clubs, however, we could see this change for PES 2022!
EA Sports has secured a partnership with Paris Saint Germain until 2024, which means that they will have the full license to the players, kits, badges, team name etc.
However, with Neymar becoming a PES ambassador, we could see Konami change its Cover Star strategy.
We believe that Neymar is now the front-runner to become the PES 2022 Cover Star, given the global scale of his fame, along with the exciting style of football he plays for European giants PSG.
Other front-runners
PES 2021 saw Alphonso Davies from Bayern Munich, Barcelona's Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus and Manchester United star Marcus Rashford.
PES 2020 followed the same format, with Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Miralem Pjanic (Juventus) and Scott McTominay doing the honours.
So, we could see Konami follow this format and feature players from partner clubs on the cover of PES 2022.
Most recently, Atalanta signed an exclusive partnership with Konami, so we could see the likes of Robin Gosens or Joakim Maehle feature, who were both so impressive at Euro 2020.
Of course, with Juventus and Barcelona signed with PES, we can't overlook the two GOATS of the game - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
We suspect Konami could once again use Messi and Ronaldo on the PES cover, with two up and coming stars alongside them.