It’s finally out: After the most successful soccer player of all time, Lionel Messi, rumors kept circulating, he now reveals himself how things should continue after the end of his career. His plan sounds as crazy as it makes sense.
For a long time, the now 34-year-old Argentinian made it a secret where he might end up at the end of a career marked by countless titles and successes. He is considered a living legend both at club level and in the national team, with which he won the World Cup last year and was thus able to make himself immortal not only in his home country. Now he also wants to E-Sports get a foothold
From football to e-sports: Lionel Messi will soon be on the monitor instead of on the pitch
When one thinks of modern football, names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski, Lionel Messi and the rising young stars a la Kylian Mbapp and other celebrated top players inevitably spring to mind. It’s a similar story in e-sports, where big names like Faker, s1mple and Co. are still active, but entire generations of fans follow them in League of Legends, Counter-Strike and similar competitive video games.
Certain connections between the real sport and that which is practiced on the internet at the keyboard or the controller exist anyway. Because just like on the pitch, in the Summoner’s Rift or the dusty desert sands of Dust 2, skills like a good overview, rapid reaction speed and an insatiable hunger for success that take you across the field and from opponent to opponent, from league point to league point and drives from title to title. Not to mention the tactical elements and team play required.
Football superstar Lionel Messi also saw these connections. He is currently still playing for the French champions Paris Saint Germain, but at the age of 34 the “Greatest Of All Time” is no longer considered a youngster. Reason enough that not only he himself, but above all the sports portals from all over the world are thinking about his departure and the time after his prestigious career.
There seems to be no end to the possible contact points: from a contract extension at PSG, to a move to Saudi Arabia, to ending his career with his old love, FC Barcelona, the world champion has a number of options. But now the extreme about-face: Instead of continuing to put on his football shoes, the highly decorated world star will end up in front of the screen as an e-sportsman.
Messi’s master plan – several possibilities imaginable
So far, the Argentine has left it open how the whole thing should look like in the end. The only thing he announced on Twitter was that he is looking forward to starting what is for him such an exciting new chapter in his life. You can see Messi, armed with blue light-blocking gaming glasses on his nose and a gamepad in his hand, in front of a huge screen displaying the logos of various e-sports titles such as Valuing, Counter-Strike: Global OffensiveEAs FIFA 23 or Riot’s popular MOBA League of Legends.
First of all, it is conceivable that Lionel Messi could also make a name for himself on the Twitch streaming platform. He should be able to do this at record speed due to his almost inexhaustible number of followers who have followed his career as a footballer with awe. Once the gaming project on Twitch is aired and he meets his own requirements, you could soon see him as a player for renowned teams such as Fnatic, Cloud 9 and Co. in the arenas and virtual battlefields.
Many of his colleagues from the football business also consider themselves passionate gamers. For example, Brazilian and PSG strike partner Neymar drew attention to himself when he showed off his CS:GO skills with the professional players from SK Gaming in his free time. In the shooter In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, he and Messi only recently became skins, which they are supposed to represent, immortalized. And let’s be honest, how many successful soccer players will there be who can resist the temptation to field themselves in FIFA 23?
However, it is also conceivable that Lionel Messi, as an expert for a motivating mindset, could pass on his experience from professional football to the young esports generation. After all, his current club, Paris Saint Germain, is one of the not so few clubs that have their own e-sports squads in various disciplines such as FIFA, LoL, Valorant, CS:GO and other titles against their competitors in virtual take shape. Come what may: We cannot look forward to Messi’s move from the pitch to the monitor enough and we remain curious to see how the project will develop in the near future.
Disclaimer: Of course, this is not real news, because it is April 1, 2023 – a small, casual April Fool’s joke. That Lionel Messi really switches to e-sports is, if at all, a dream of our author, who has been addicted to virtual showdowns at competitive level for years. But you should be seriously wary of fake news. A contact point where you can find out more about the topic is the Federal Agency for Civic Education.
Latest updated video: Lego Sonic the Hedgehog Green Hill Zone Set
