Wales and Real Madrid player Gareth Bale has announced a new eSports team called Ellevens Esports in partnership with 38 Entertainment.
Formed last November, the new team will make their debut competing in the FIFA eClub World Cup when it kicks off on February 7 in Milan with two established players, 'PResende7' from Brazil and 'EthxnH' from Wales hoping to claim glory in the competition.
Revealing why he decided to jump into Esports, Bale stated in a press release that his interest began two years ago when he started to watch Ninja stream Fortnite:
"I naturally progressed to watching FIFA and the FIFA Global Series. The competitive side was fascinating, so I decided I wanted to provide an opportunity for gamers who take esports seriously and want to play for a professional organisation at the highest level."
"On the pitch, my goal is always to win. With Ellevens Esports, that winning attitude is just as important. There are similarities between football and esports in that it takes real dedication and sacrifice to reach the top of your game. I'm really excited to now have my own team and I'm looking forward to Ellevens competing in major esports events all over the world."
Of course, there aren't just plans to compete in the digital version of Bale's own professional career. Ellevens are also hosting a talent search to find more players for several other games like Overwatch, Rocket League, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and more presumably.
Bale is far from the first professional football player or team to try and make the jump so far. For example; Mesut Ozil, Christian Fuchs and Ruud Guillt have also founded their own esport teams whilst giant football clubs like Manchester City, AS Roma and Olympique Lyonnais are competing with Ellevens Esports in the FIFA eClub World Cup.
Ellevens will compete alongside Blue United eFc, FC Basel 1893 Esports, Movistar Riders, Borussia-e-sports and Mkers in Group B. Will you be supporting Ellevens at the FIFA eClub World Cup?
