Gaming
esports
Who is the greatest of all time in the world of eFootball?
With the help of three graphics and expert rankings, we get to the bottom of the question. Because as the Highlander principle says: there can only be one.
Four letters that mean the world and are associated with endless debates. Here the G.O.A.T. question once again comes on the table. Whoever raises it in real soccer usually faces two camps (Messi vs. CR7). On the tennis courts of this world, it's even a three-way fight. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer?
On release day of EA FC 24, the successor of the FIFA series, another G.O.A.T. is being discussed. "Let's talk about Umut," eSports caster Brandon Smith demanded back during the FIFAe Finals with RBLZ Gaming's Club World Cup triumph.
Titles before and after FIFA 17: A question of importance
The fact that Umut Gültekin, who is only 20 years old, returned from Saudi Arabia with his second World Cup title in his luggage is a kind of early access into the G.O.A.T. circle, narrowed down here to a total of six eSportsmen by means of graphics (see the infographic below). But the fundamental question already pops up: How is success defined in the rapidly growing realm of eFootball? Do titles and final appearances have a much higher significance today than before FIFA 17?
FIFA-GOAT: The six players in direct comparison
© Red Bull
Anyone who belongs to the Bruce Grannec generation knows exactly what we're talking about here. The two-time FIWC winner from France and also August "Agge" Rosenmeier knew FIFA without the now indispensable Weekend League and FUT Champion. Publisher EA Sports's involvement in competitive gaming was the milestone that made prize pools skyrocket.
Grannec, nicknamed 'The Machine', cleared $20,000 (FIFA Interactive World Cup 2009) and $5,000 (Electronic Sports World Cup 2012) in his first two major titles. But these figures are less than the winnings of 'RBLZ_Umut' during his run through the FUT 20 Champions Cup in Atlanta where he picked up $30,000 as PS4 champion!
Bruce all-powerful: on the console and on the big screen
Even without six-figure earnings, the now 36-year-old Grannec scores points over the younger generation for his standing within the FIFA scene. A gamer with panache, it's no coincidence that his success story was even made into a film. In sporting terms, his collection of titles, which also includes a World Cup triumph at long-time EA FC competitor Pro Evolution Soccer (now eFootball) remains unrivaled.
Only 'RBLZ_Umut' and 'Agge' can come close to matching this feat with two world championships. The latter was a model of consistency at the national level (a seven-time champion in Denmark) before also taking off at the FIWC from 2014. The 27-year-old continued his title chase - as one of the first full-time eSports players and content creators - in the PSG eSports jersey.
FIFA-GOAT: The Top 3 Ranking of Erhan "Dr. Erhano" Kayman
© Red Bull
The truth of the matter is that Rosenmeier's prime also came at a time when the field of competitors in major FIFA/EA FC tournaments was made up largely of a copy and paste crew of rivals. However, in his brief comeback in the spring of 2020 the six-time World Cup participant found himself among a much broader world elite. "The FIFA G.O.A.T. clearly comes from this era of the game," explains renowned FIFA expert Erhan "Dr. Erhano" Kayman.
Broader world top: titles, tekkz and temperaments!
This is where Nicolas "nicolas99fc" Villalba and Mossad 'Msdossary' Aldossary come in. Three of the four FIFAe World Cup finals held since then (2018, 2019, 2022) have involved one of this duo. When a certain Donovan Hunt took to the stage, the FIFA community was left breathless. Results such as a 9:3 (round robin) against 'nicolas99fc' in the FUT 18 Champions Cup final or the eChampions League final (4:1 against Mohammed 'MoAuba' Harkous) were emblematic of the 'Tekkz' show.
FIFA-GOAT: Who has earned the highest prize money
© Red Bull
"In FIFA 19, Tekkz and Msdossary met frequently. These duels reminded me of the rivalry between Messi and CR7," says Dr. Erhano. The last graph (above) shows how the earnings (often used as the main argument in the G.O.A.T. debate) can be compared more meaningfully. At the age of 20, Msdossary had won almost 50,000 US dollars less in prize money than the current 20-year-old Umut Gültekin. Converted to prize money won per year, the Leipzig native (162,270 US dollars) is also ahead, while Tekkz and the rest do not exceed the 100,000 mark.
Point of View: Many numbers already point to 'RBLZ_Umut' as the legitimate G.O.A.T. successor to Bruce Grannec. Just for fun, the Frenchman was still active in the Weekend League and regularly went 20-0. Should no show match between the two materialize, the FIFAe Nations Cup (with the German eNational Team) would be the last title for 'RBLZ_Umut' on the way to completion.
