Gareth Bale targets FIFA eClub World Cup as he launches his own online gaming

On Sep 5, 2020

Wales, golf, ESPORTS and then Madrid, Gareth? Welsh star Bale targets FIFA eClub World Cup as he launches his own online gaming team

Gareth Bale has launched his own eSports team for the FIFA eClub World Cup
The Real Madrid and Wales star is venturing into the world of online gaming
His team, Ellevens Esports, will compete in different gaming tournaments
Fans are already joking Bale will put his new business venture ahead of Real
Christian Fuchs, Mesut Ozil and Ruud Gullit have also invested in eSports

Published: 07:57 EDT, 3 February 2020 | Updated: 07:57 EDT, 3 February 2020

Gareth Bale has announced that he will be venturing into the world of eSports after unveiling his new team called Ellevens Esports.

The Welshman co-owns the eSports franchise along with 38 Entertainment Group, with the team founded by investor Jonathan Kark and former footballer Larry Cohen.

And Bale isn’t waiting around either after announcing on Twitter that his new team will make their debut at the FIFA eClub World Cup in Milan this week.

Gareth Bale launches his own eSports team, Ellevens Esports, for the FIFA eClub World Cup

The Real Madrid star announced he’s putting together a team for the upcoming tournament

In his unveiling video on Twitter, Bale recruited four members to his new eSports team

The 30-year-old invited gamers from around the world to participate in a talent hunt where they would be given a chance to sign a professional contract with Ellevens Esports.

‘There are similarities between football and eSports in that it takes real dedication and sacrifice to reach the top of your game,’ Bale said in a statement.

The announcement on Monday saw fans joke that Bale would be putting his new business venture ahead of his current club Real Madrid, referencing the fact that he celebrated a Wales’ Euro 2020 qualification last November with a banner that read: ‘Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order.’

The banner incensed Real fans and the Spanish media, who continued to question Bale’s priorities and allegiance to the club.

Bale celebrated by holding a flag reading ‘Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order’ last November

Following Bale’s announcement, fans joked his eSports venture would take priority over Real

However, the opportunity to move into eSports seems to be a sensible one given the exponential growth of the sport.

Prize money in eSports has grown in recent years and last year American teenager Kyle Giersdorf won over £2.3million ($3m) after taking the top prize in a Fortnite tournament – more than the prize money on offer at Wimbledon or the Masters.

With that being said, Bale isn’t the first footballer to venture into the sport.

Leicester City full back Christian Fuchs became the first Premier League star to launch his own team, NoFuchsGiven, in 2018.

Along with Fuchs, Arsenal star Mesut Ozil launched his own team while footballing legend Ruud Gullit also jumped on the eSports…