Leicester City defender Christian Fuchs is set to become the first footballer in the Premier League to have his own esports team.
Fuchs, according to Daily Mail, is in the process of developing his own team of players that will compete professionally in FIFA. The report states that he plans to expand into other titles, though they’re not known at this point in time.
The Austrian left-back confirmed his esports-centric plans on Twitter by sharing the news and telling his followers to “Get ready for that!”
Fuchs may be the first competitor in English football’s top flight competition to own an esports team, but he’s one of a number of footballers who have got involved with the industry as of late. For example, Álvaro Arbeloa partnered with League of Legends team Origen in April and Javier Mascherano partnered with Latin American esports agency eSports Planet in March.
More and more football clubs are getting involved with esports over time, too. Paris Saint-Germain’s involvement is perhaps one of the most successful instances of this yet – winning two successive Major tournaments in Dota 2 in partnership with LGD Gaming. FC Schalke 04 currently competes in the EU LCS – a major European League of Leagues competition. There are a plethora of other big teams getting involved, too, such as FC Barcelona.
Esports Insider says: As the esports industry continues to grow, more and more players, executives, and investors are flocking over from traditional sports. Fuchs is the first player in the Premier League to enter esports, but it’s hard to imagine he’ll be the last. We wish him the best of luck!