Three footballing stars are set to become the first sportspeople to feature in a Call of Duty game.
Call of Duty will crossover into the footballing world for the upcoming World Cup. Three of the stars of international football will feature in Modern Warfare 2 as operators. Neymar and Paul Pogba will be available to play as in the game.
Reputable leaker TheGhostOfHope was the first to post about the inclusion of the footballers in the game. He also stated that PSG star Lionel Messi will be coming to the game.
This is not the first time that Call of Duty has had representation from football in its game. Even in Warzone, they featured an entire made-up stadium and team that played in Verdansk.
The fact that these two skins were leaked so soon after the original leak all but confirms the legitimacy of it. Lionel Messi's skin should appear soon. It will be interesting to see how tall Messi's in-game model is. The Copa America and Champions League winner is only 169cm tall, nearly a quarter of a meter shorter Frenchman than Paul Pogba.
What do the skins look like?
Former EA Sports FIFA Community Relations Manager ChuBoi was among the first to share images of the new skins. Although his tweet didn't show Argentine star Lionel Messi, his Paris-Saint Germain teammate Neymar and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba were both pictured.
Both are donning Mil-Sim outfits in their initial screenshots. Infinity Ward have done a good job in recreating the likeness of both players, with them both undeniably true representation of what they look like.
The operator skins are also completely in line with the immersion aspect of the game. They look like they completely belong on the battlefield. Both players are dressed for the right engagements. Both sport fantastic-looking camouflage gear and headsets seen on other operators.
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Why is CoD having football players?
Activision and Infinity Ward are including the footballing crossover because of the FIFA World Cup that is happening in Qatar. The tournament starts on November 20, so expect the skins to be released around that time. All three of Neymar, Pogba and Messi will likely feature for their country at the World Cup in the Middle East.
All three nations (Brazil, France and Argentina) could all realistically come away with the win at the tournament. The three countries are the three bookies favourites before the tournament gets underway. That has to be a contributing factor as to why Call of Duty decided on these three players to be included.
The only question really is why Call of Duty didn't use Kylian Mbappe as the French representative. Although the fact that Mbappe owns his own image rights, rather than his club, PSG, would make it difficult to broker a deal to include him.
This could end up being the first in a line of real-world celebrity crossovers in MW2. Infinity Ward including Neymar and Pogba in MW2 could be a precursor to other sports starts joining the roster of operators.
Other celebrity skins
Call of Duty has a long history of celebrity crossover. They have had many over the years, especially since the release of Warzone. Snoop Dogg featured in Vanguard. Bruce Willis' John McClane featured in Cold War alongside Judge Dredd and Sylvester Stallone's John Rambo.
Call of Duty have also used several different horror movie characters for Halloween celebrations over the years. Donnie Darko, Ghostface and Leatherface have all seen time in the game. Now, the company seems to be making the move out into sportspeople.
Modern Warfare 2's full worldwide regional release is now underway, with different countries getting access to the game at different times. Full access will be available worldwide by 3 am EST on October 28.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest Call of Duty news and updates.
