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For millions of football fans worldwide who never get to play the sport professionally, their dreams of winning major trophies with their beloved club are lived out through video games.
However, according to ExpressVPN, there are also quite a few footballers at the highest level who can’t get enough of blasting their way to glory on EA Sports FC and the like.
Among Liverpool’s squad, perhaps the best-known lover of such video games is Diogo Jota, whose passion for the virtual version of the sport at which he excels has been borne out by him establishing his own eSports team.
The 27-year-old also regularly partakes in forfeit challenges when playing EA Sports FC (formerly the FIFA series), and when the 2022/23 version of the game was released, he shot up to sixth in the world rankings on FIFA Ultimate Team (Liverpool Echo).
If you think that’s impressive, he was once ranked as the number one player worldwide on FIFA 21!
Jota’s love for video games also occasionally manifests itself in his goal celebrations. After scoring against Southampton during the 2021/22 season, and following his stoppage time winner against Tottenham last April, he sat on the floor and mimed playing a games console.
You can go all the way back to the global lockdown during the first wave of the global pandemic four years ago to see just how proficient the Portugal winger is at football gaming.
He actually came up against Trent Alexander-Arnold in the final of the FIFA 20 ePremier League Invitational, when Liverpool’s current number 20 was playing for Wolves and representing them in the game. The Reds may have cruised to the actual league title that year, but Jota came out on top in the virtual battle, defeating the Scouser 2-1.
Diogo doesn’t have sole dibs at Anfield on being an avid gamer, though – Cody Gakpo is also known to be fond of computerised football.
Earlier this season, the Dutchman partook in a concentration challenge with Premier League Uncut host Ben Black, in which the 24-year-old was asked a series of questions sent in by audience members while playing EA Sports FC.
He and Nat Phillips also went up against Jota and musician Jamie Webster in a no-rules FIFA 23 challenge, which was every bit as good-natured as you’d expect from those participating!
Liverpool’s players have been doing the business on the pitch – where it counts for real – this season, and a few Reds clearly like to switch off with a video game or two as well.
