There are many great soccer players out there. What separates them from the average is the traits they possess, including their fitness level, mental attitude, and high levels of discipline.
There is something more important than these attributes, though. You can be extremely skillful with the ball, but without a good strategy, it’s unlikely you’ll score. You need to know how to read the game, predict your opponent’s moves, and make quick decisions. This is the soccer XFactor and what separates the good from the best.
Unsurprisingly, because of this skill set, many soccer players also go on to have successful Poker careers. Why Poker? It’s a game of skills, discipline, and focus. Just like soccer.
Soccer players in Poker isn’t particularly impressive. What is, however, is just how much these athletes can earn if they’re good enough. Below, we’ve highlighted four of the biggest ballers on the soccer field and at the poker table. Even better, two of them are still star players for their teams.
Gerard Pique is number one on our list. FC Barcelona’s defender of over a decade is known to impress in Poker tournaments. Pique’s biggest success so far was the €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em Event at the European Poker Tour in Barcelona in 2019 where he scored a pot of over $392,000. It’s a lot, but still not enough to match Shakira’s $300 million net worth – his long-time partner.
The second spot goes to Teddy Sheringham, a Striker from Manchester United’s Golden Era. As one of the best English players of the 90s, when Teddy retired, he wasn’t ready to give up on winning. Since 2006, he’s been playing in Poker tournaments and has won more than $300,000. His biggest payout happened at Casino Vilamoura in Portugal, in 2010 at the European Poker Tour (EPT) Main Event, where he finished fifth and collected $118,346.
Ronaldo Luís Nazário, affectionately known as ‘original Ronaldo’, is the soccer player every child wanted to be back in the 90s. He scored 103 goals for FC Real Madrid during his five seasons with the team. He’s third on our list of Poker-playing ballers thanks to his win at the 2015 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) Main Event in the Bahamas. Ronaldo won $42,180 and proved that he’s much more than just a world-class soccer player.
Last but not least is Neymar Junior. The PSG’s attacking midfielder is known for his dribbling skills on the pitch and playboy behavior off the pitch. But there’s more to Neymar than meets the eye. He started playing Poker during the 2014 World Cup and fell in love with the game so much that even named his dog Poker. He claimed, “It’s true I plan to turn pro. I feel very comfortable playing poker, and think I can play in major tournaments after my soccer career is over.” His biggest success so far was at the 2018 Brazilian Series of Poker where he earned a modest sum of $21,072.
Methodology
To support our research and report, we have used the following websites:
The Hendon Mob and Global Poker Index
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