Of course, at the heart of any game is the excitement and desire to win. Football is one of the most significant examples of such a game, which is interesting to play and which is even more interesting to watch. However, famous football players remain gamblers not only on the field. Many of them spend their huge fees in various gambling establishments: for example, in casinos, where they can often be seen. Some psychologists say that gambling sites is like a drug: it also causes a painful addiction, because of which the player needs to experience again and again a feeling of euphoria from the risk of losing money and the chance to win even more money.
it is important to note that often the goals of coming to the casino for average players and football players (and other rich people, of course) are somewhat different. Every player plans not only to test their luck, but also to earn easy money. At the same time, the footballer is not so concerned about the size of the prize: it is more important for him to plunge into the excitement again, to test his intellectual abilities and luck.
Footballers You can Often Find in Casinos
As a rule, football players visit casinos both in reality and virtually. Most of them play online on the PokerStars platform – the largest poker site, where sometimes up to 90 thousand people play at the same time. Of course, there are a lot of football players who visit casinos, so we will tell you only about the most famous and avid gamblers.
Ronaldo. This is a two-time world champion from Brazil, who is considered by many experts and analytical organizations (for example, Castrol Index) one of the best players in the world. Now it is quite often found in online casino rooms. He became interested in poker when his career was just beginning: apparently, he foresaw that he would become a legend and that his career would eventually end. When he suffered several serious injuries, he decided to retire from football and play poker. He joined the PokerStars team. He often organizes charity tournaments and often gives his winnings to charity.
It should be noted that on another major gambling site – Full Tilt Poker – you can meet a player under the nickname CR7sete, which is sometimes confused with Ronaldo. In fact, this player is another equally famous footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, who also began to study intellectual gambling, especially poker.
Neymar. This is a Barcelona striker who plays on the same platform under the nickname Neymar-jr. He is seriously passionate about poker, as he has said in numerous interviews. It is known that in 2016, he was able to win the qualifying stage in the World Series of Poker and earn about 2 million euros on a contract with this gaming site. Since this player is still quite young (he is only 28 years old), he will probably continue his football career, and poker will remain a hobby for him.
In football circles, the scandal that occurred with Philo Bardsley – a former player of the Scottish national team-is known. After one of his victories, he spent the night in a casino, where he was photographed lying on the floor and covered in 50-pound notes. For this, the coach suspended him from the upcoming game.
Gerard Pique. He is a very famous Spanish footballer who plays as a defender for FC Barcelona. He is also the husband of the famous singer Shakira. He is known for his coolness and reaction, so he has achieved quite significant success in poker: he played at the most prestigious WSOP and EPT tournaments against world poker stars like Negreanu or Mercier. There he won 21,000 euros, and during the home tournament in Barcelona – 41,000, when he took 3rd place. He is so passionate about poker that he may ask not to be called up to the Spanish national team, pretending that he was injured. And at the same time, he will participate in some major poker tournaments. Perhaps poker is becoming more interesting for him than football, although he is not going to finish his career as a football player yet.
Luis Suarez. This is an Uruguayan striker from the club Atletico Madrid, who for a while was a member of the large poker club 888 Poker, where he played in the casino. After one of the unsuccessful games, he bit his opponent, because of which he was deprived of membership in the club.
It is possible that such an example from famous football players cannot be called the best for children who often follow their sports idols, but the transition of many football players from sports games to more intellectual, but still interesting and gambling is definitely worthy of respect.
