A football star who can’t kick…

When you were young did you dream of being an accountant when you grew up? My guess is that most of you probably didn’t fall asleep at night dreaming of spreadsheets and calculators. Perhaps a more common childhood dream was playing for your favourite football team or being a famous actor or actress.

There have been some interesting developments recently though when it comes to playing for your favourite football team and some of the top teams are now signing players who will never be kicking a ball for their team. Instead, they will be representing their teams in the world of gaming, or to be more specific, football gaming such as EA Sports Fifa

Manchester City have recently signed Keiran Brown, an 18 year old gamer who has more than 12,000 followers on his YouTube channel.

Keiran will represent Machester City at Fifa esports tournaments where gamers sit in front of computers representing their team and watched by crowds of thousands of spectators.

Manchester City didn’t disclose how much Keiran will be paid but other professional gamers are reported to be paid in the region of £3,000 per month and can also win prize money at tournaments which can run into the thousands of pounds.

It’s quite a smart move for the club though as football games on consoles such as Xbox and PlayStation are extremely popular with supporters of the actual game.

Diegao Gigliani, vice-president of media and innovation at Manchester City was quoted as saying “As esport continues to gain momentum, it makes sense for our clubs to be part of the action and get closer to our fans, who love playing EA Sports Fifa as Manchester City. We will be a bigger presence at gaming tournaments, we will have more content through our digital channels and we will activate even more with our fans at matches and club events.”

So, in summary, if you want to play for your favourite football team but can’t kick a ball then maybe get out your Xbox and start practicing…