Football Players Who Have Made Investments In eSports 

One of the world’s fastest-growing digital industries is the eSports sector. The statistics confirm that a global audience has been drawn to competitive gaming. Global eSports revenues are projected to reach $1,624.00m in 2023, and Statista predicts they will reach $2,235.00m by 2027. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the most famous football players in the world want to participate. 

Esports and conventional sports have progressively converged in recent years. Many organizations, such as FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain F.C., and Manchester City F.C., have established an eSports division, which has helped this business spread throughout the world. Both active and retired football legends have tried to invest in or create their very own eSports organizations to take part in regional and worldwide competitions across a variety of disciplines. They have lots of money-burning gaps in their pockets.  

In fact, a large number of these athletes who made the decision to compete in eSports do this with FIFA teams. Nowadays, any sort of competitive Internet gaming is regarded as an electronic sport. It does not have to be a combat game like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) or even a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game like League of Legends (LoL). Some have joined other well-known eSports, such as VALORANT and Dota 2, in recent years. 

Because it can be played online, many increasingly see poker as an electronic sport. Additionally, it satisfies the criteria for sport, which is defined as an activity demanding “physical exertion and skill”. Additionally, there is a clear overlap between poker and traditional eSports, since several of the most accomplished poker professionals also pursue competitive gaming outside of the tables. One such example is Lex Veldhuis, a Dutchman who has been a longtime member of Team Liquid. 

Let us examine the former and current football players who have money invested in eSports organizations around the world today, given the varied nature of the eSports sector in 2023 and beyond. While some invest in organizations that are already formed, others build their own teams. Given the enormous audience that electronic sports organizations now draw, many former football players are also participating in them in addition to current professional players.  

The eSports teams of both current and retired football players are displayed below. 

Ex-Professional Footballers Who Joined eSports 

David Beckham 

You would think British football icon Beckham would have got plenty on his plate already as the owner of MLS team Inter Miami CF without having to co-own an eSports organization as well. 

In the UK eSports community, Guild Esports, which was established in 2020 and co-owned by Beckham, is growing. The organization has created its own infrastructure for the academy as well as a cutting-edge hub for players and academy talents to network. Currently, Guild have professional teams competing in games like Rocket League, CS: GO, and FIFA. 

Sergio Agüero 

Kun Agüero, a former Manchester City F.C. and Argentina star, founded the privately owned KRÜ Esports team in 2020, only one year before his painful exit from the team. The Argentine’s rising fame on Twitch, the leading live-streaming platform for eSports pros and events, served as inspiration for the choice. 

KRÜ Esports is headquartered in Agüero’s native Argentina with the goal of discovering great gaming talent there who might not otherwise have an opportunity to become well-known. KRÜ Esports have advanced significantly in the VALORANT eSports scene. One of the ten teams chosen to compete in the inaugural season of VCT Americas International League (the most popular out of VALORANT’s new international leagues) was this one. 

Ruud Gullit 

Ruud Gullit, a former standout for the Netherlands in international competition, has also dabbled in eSports. The 60-year-old former player and manager established Team Gullit, the first “independent FIFA academy” in the world, demonstrating that age is no barrier in the eSports sector. This franchise discovers upcoming FIFA Esports talent and offers them the training and platform necessary to succeed on the largest stage. 

Since its founding in 2018, Team Gullit have established relationships with professional clubs, signing agreements with sides like SBV Vitesse and Atlanta United FC. 

Active Professional Footballers Who Joined eSports 

Virgil van Dijk 

Last summer, it was revealed that Virgil van Dijk, a formidable center-back for Liverpool F.C., had invested in the UK-based eSports team Tundra. The Dutchman was hired to aid in increasing awareness of Tundra’s organization, which was founded in 2019. Due in large part to their connections to FIFA, Tundra teamed up with van Dijk, developing flourishing FIFA Esports teams before spreading out into well-liked games like Fortnite, DOTA 2, and Rocket League. 

Tundra’s greatest success to date came in DOTA 2’s The International, where their team won the top prize, one of the largest prize pools in eSports, last year. 

David de Gea 

The longtime starter in goal for Manchester United F.C. has always had a love for competitive video games. When he introduced Rebels Gaming, an eSports team located in his native Spain, in 2021, he called it a “dream come true” and labelled it as such. 

With Bruno Fernandes and former United midfielder Juan Mata, both signed as new partners, De Gea has relied on some of his Manchester United teammates to try to build the Rebels Gaming brand. Rebels Gaming already participate in a variety of regional eSports competitions, most notably those for VALORANT, League of Legends, and Rainbow Six Siege. 

Jesse Lingard 

Jesse Lingard, a former player for Manchester United and currently a midfielder for Nottingham Forest F.C., is well known for his passion for eSports. In fact, he was so inspired by it that he founded his own squad, JLINGZ Esports. 

By using the exact name of his apparel company in FIFA, Halo, and Rainbow Six Siege, Lingard formed this team.  

Actually, Lingard chose to rebrand Audacity Esports, an existing eSports organization, under the name JLINGZ Esports. The team has gotten better and better, even signing intriguing sponsorship agreements with companies like SportLocker, one of the most famous sports streaming services for matches offered by the best football betting sites in 2023, and recommended at the link. Additionally, JLINGZ will collaborate with Virtua to develop its Web3 operations, as was also stated. 

Carlos Casimiro 

We stress that Manchester United—despite Casemiro’s (the moniker he is renowned for) recent arrival—seems to be the place that motivates elite footballers to found their eSports teams. Case Esports is the name of the eSports team owned by Casemiro, a former Real Madrid CF member who is now a defensive midfielder for United and the Brazilian national team. 

Unexpectedly, Casemiro is a devoted CS: GO fan; in fact, we frequently catch him streaming a few of the games he plays on Twitch. Brazilian players make up the competitive CS: GO line-up for Case Esports, which have existed since 2020. In addition to VALORANT, the squad also competes in games like FIFA and League of Legends and includes male and female teams. 

Aymeric Laporte 

Football clubs from Manchester are next! Aymeric Laporte, a Spanish centre defender for City, runs an eSports organization named AYM Esports. Teams for Apex Legends, Call of Duty, and League of Legends are available at AYM Esports. 

This franchise also had a women’s CS: GO team, although according to some sources online, it is assumed that the players left the team since they were not paid.  

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