Professional footballer Wendell Lira overcame competition from both world number one Lionel Messi and seasoned striker Carlos Tevez to clinch the FIFA Puskas Award 2015 (goal of the year), but is now quitting football to focus on a career in esports.
As reported by the BBC, Lira cites repeated injury as one of the reasons driving his retirement with the 27 year old Brazilian—responsible for this award-winning bicycle kick—now planning to hang up his boots, launch a YouTube channel, and dive head-first into a professional FIFA career. Speaking to globesporte, he said: “My dream is to become FIFA world champion.”
Recent months have seen professional football teams recruiting players as official esports representatives—such as David Bytheway, a FIFA Interactive World Cup finalist from Wolverhampton who is now employed by German club Wolfsburg—a fact which illustrates the burgeoning wider appeal of esports.
