Arsenal midfielder Mesut Özil is reportedly launching his very own eSports team for popular football video game FIFA 19.
Özil announced the news in a tweet Friday morning (August 3), writing: “‘How cheeky is that’: I’m teaming up with @eSports_Rep to form my own @EASPORTSFIFA team. In the upcoming weeks, we’ll look out for players around the world who represent #teammozil in all major national and international EA FIFA competitions”.
ESports has become increasingly popular over recent years as FIFA continues to regularly organise tournaments for players with cash prizes.
The most popular FIFA tournament is the FIFA eWorld Cup, formerly known as the FIFA Interactive World Cup (FIWC), which now runs annually.
The three-day event offers a whopping cash prize of $200,000 for winning players and has been recognised as the largest online eSports gaming event by the Guinness World Records. The latest eWorld Cup tournament began earlier this week in London and is expected to end this weekend (August 4).
Özil’s announcement comes after the German football player was revealed as the official brand ambassador for the FIFA eWorld Cup in June.
“I have followed the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series throughout the year and I am really impressed by the performances of the Grand Finalists so far,” Özil said in a statement in June.
“I am excited to be part of their journey and look forward to welcoming them in London. I know that playing at a FIFA World Cup and representing your country is a highlight for all athletes and something truly unforgettable.”
FIFA 19, which has been dubbed as the most ambitious title yet, is set for a September 28 release on Xbox, PlayStation, PC and Nintendo Switch.
