A football player from the Brazilian 4th division who found fame last year for an incredible volleyed goal will now try his hand at reaching the top of the virtual world game.
It’s often been said that if you dream of being a footballer, race car driver or thirty-foot tall dinosaur intent on destroying all Italian plumbers, but lack the gifts required, then computer games are a great substitute. But what if you had the talent to be a ‘real’ sportsmen and still chose to make your way in the virtual world? That’s exactly what one Wendell Lira has done, hanging up his boots at the tender age of 27 to pursue a career in eSports, and specifically FIFA.
You might have heard Lira’s name, as he was the recipient of the Puskas Award for the best goal scored in world football last year, with this astonishing effort the one that secured him the gong. However, at the same dinner where he received the award, Lira engaged in what seemed like a light-hearted game of FIFA with the world’s best at the time, Abdulaziz Alshehri, and emerged 6-1 victor, potentially laying the groundwork for this move away from the grass and into eSports.
With the news recently that Sporting CP and Manchester City have joined the likes of West Ham and Schalke in investing in the world of eSports, this seems like another such move toward the mainstream, but actually might represent something far larger. If we see professional sports stars taking up eSports and treating it with the same diligence and dedication they do their original discipline, the consequences could be hugely positive for the scene going forward.
Clip courtesy of FIFATV
