If we talk about football and poker, they don’t really have much in common. Football is a dynamic and spectacular sport that is all about technique and physical preparation. Poker, in turn, is associated with intellectual, mathematical, and analytical skills. However, many famous football players like to play poker in their free time from games and training.
Neymar
While Neymar hasn’t called it quits on his professional career yet, he has been showing up more often for his native Santos. In general, Neymar is considered one of the most passionate poker fans among active football players. In 2015, the Brazilian national team star signed a sponsorship contract with PokerStars and became their ambassador, report Poker-online.org. The striker has repeatedly participated in WSOP events and admitted that he dreams of owning a championship bracelet.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The Portuguese doesn’t show any signs of stopping his professional football career. He continues to score goals for the Portuguese national team and Al-Nasr. Like Neymar, the Portuguese legend became an official ambassador for PokerStars Team SportStars in 2015.
The famous poker room decided to invite Ronaldo to its team thanks to his iron self-discipline and analytical thinking. At the same time, Cristiano does not take part in official poker tournaments.
Gerard Pique
The former Barcelona and Spain defender has made quite a name for himself in the poker world. After finishing his professional career, he started participating in poker tournaments. Pique has been doing impressively well, often finishing high and earning solid ranking points. For example, in 2019, Gerar won more than €350,000 at the European Poker Tour event, held in Barcelona.
Andriy Shevchenko
The former star of Milan and the Ukrainian national team is also a well-known poker fan. Shevchenko does not participate in professional poker tournaments, but is known to enjoy intellectual games that require strategic and analytical thinking. It is these skills that helped the football player make the right decisions on the football field.
Teddy Sheringham
A famous English striker, Teddy Sheringham, and the 1999 Champions League champion, switched to poker after finishing his football career. He regularly participated in the World Series of Poker and the European Poker Tour tournaments. His total winnings exceed $300,000. In 2009, Sheringham finished 14th at the EPT event in Vilamoura, outperforming hundreds of professional players.
