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Are there poker players in football? Which footballers play poker, if any? And are there any poker-skilled football players? These are the inquiries we will be responding to today.
The fact that footballers are among the highest-paid athletes in the world is generally known. The majority of football players who are professionals are not compelled to play poker to increase their income, but that does not mean they cannot enjoy themselves just like every one of us.
Online poker has never been simpler than it is now, thanks to the top mobile poker sites. Some football stars have actually been known to appear at live tables, though, and bag some juicy winnings. Here are the ten most famous football players (arranged according to the sonority of their name in the football world), in our opinion, who also play poker. So, without further ado…
# 1 Ronaldo (Brazil)
Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or in 2015, the highest individual honor in football. Another widely recognized Ronaldo, Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, missed that exact award ceremony for the Ballon d’Or to compete in the Bahamas-based PokerStars contest.
The identity of this Ronaldo is something that might bother you. We hear you asking, ”Who is Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima?” Of course, he is the REAL Ronaldo! The renowned Brazilian, who won the Ballon d’Or in 1997 and 2002, was obviously unconcerned by his namesake’s accomplishments. He earned over $42,000 in the Caribbean, so skipping the event was a wise choice.
Ronaldo amassed a considerable trophy collection while representing clubs like Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and Milan, among others. He also helped Brazil win two FIFA World Cups, taking home the Golden Boot in 2002.
# 2 Neymar (Brazil)
Officially, Neymar (full name: Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior) is the most expensive football player in history. For the Brazilian’s services in 2017, Paris Saint-Germain shelled out an astounding €222 million to Barcelona.
While receiving around €4 million per month from PSG, Neymar makes an additional €20 million per year from sponsorship deals with brands like Puma, Red Bull, and Qatar Airways. He still makes time, though, to play in poker tournaments.
The 31-year-old favors playing poker online since it allows him to access the top online casinos. After having surgery on his feet in 2018, he competed in a high-stakes online competition and placed 474th among more than 5,000 participants.
Neymar is not only one of the world’s best football players, but he is also a top poker player who plays football. To be fair, Neymar’s poker winnings are average considering his fortune. However, he did place sixth at the 2018 Brazilian Series of Poker.
# 3 Teddy Sheringham (England)
There is no doubt that Teddy Sheringham is among the top footballers who play poker, with a cumulative income of more than $300,000.
Sheringham earned the Premier League Golden Boot in 1993, and in 2000-01, he was also named the FWA Footballer of the Year and PFA Players’ Player of the Year. He no longer rules the football field; he now rules the poker table. He finished fifth and earned €93,121 in the €5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event of the EPT Vilamoura in 2010. That year, he made it to the final table. In addition, he earned $60,000 for finishing 14th in the 2016 World Series of Poker Main Event.
In various poker tournaments throughout the years, the former striker for Manchester United and Tottenham has competed and triumphed. At the moment, the latter of these two clubs (given that we mentioned it) helped lots of South Korean residents develop a taste for online gambling, preferably sports betting at both South Korean sports bookies and online casinos in South Korea that have sportsbooks, as per reports of specialized gambling platforms. The success of South Korean Son Heung-Min in the English Premier League since joining Tottenham in 2015 is arguably the main cause of this, though there are other factors as well, such as less and less restrictive no-gambling policy for Korean residents. Anyway, Sheringham’s name must be brought up when talking about football players who are proficient at poker.
# 4 Tomas Brolin (Sweden)
Tomas Brolin’s football career, sadly, was short-lived. The Swede’s sporting journey came to an end in 1998 when he was only 28 owing to injury issues that caused him to retire. On a more upbeat note is that Brolin is now recognized as one of the best football players who sat at the poker table.
Additionally, he has earned two amounts of cash while competing on the European Poker Tour by PokerStars.com. His greatest success occurred in Monte Carlo, during which he gained $60,129 for placing 38th out of 842 competitors in the 2008 competition.
Over the years, Brolin has developed a reputation for donning rather ostentatious eyewear when dining. Do sunglasses really make poker players more successful? There are different and conflicted opinions…
# 5 Gerard Piqué (Spain)
Many people consider Gerard Piqué to be one of his generation’s top defenders. The center-back has played more than 600 times for Barcelona, earning three UEFA Champions League trophies and eight La Liga championships along the way. But are you aware that he is a top poker player as well as a top football player?
In 2019, Piqué took part in the European Poker Tour the day after playing for “Barça”. He did not only watch the competition, though; after placing second, he took home a tidy €391,775! Funny enough, Arturo Vidal, Piqué’s former teammate, also reached the final table on that precise occasion.
Piqué’s payouts would not have significantly changed his financial situation because his weekly Barcelona pay at the time was only about €250,000. He still belongs to the group of footballers that are proficient at poker.
# 6 Tony Cascarino (Ireland)
When we first considered publishing a story on football players who are proficient at poker, Tony Cascarino’s name was the first to come to mind. The former striker, who played for illustrious teams like Chelsea, Marseille, Aston Villa, and Celtic, called it quits on his professional career back in 2000. Since that time, he has amassed poker winnings totaling more than $500,000 in total.
Cascarino’s poker adventures occasionally eclipse his football accomplishments because of his feats at the table. About $300,000 had been taken by Cascarino from the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour. Even better, he won the grand prize of the 2009 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour, earning a staggering $200,000 for his efforts.
Cascarino gained 88 appearances for the Republic of Ireland and played 600+ club games in addition to scoring 19 goals in 88 caps. He now chooses to accomplish his objectives at the poker table.
# 7 Jan Mølby (Denmark)
Jan Mølby is one of the most well-known football players who play poker, despite the fact that his poker career pales in comparison to those of stars like Cascarino and Sørensen (about him in a minute).
The time Mølby spent at Premier League powerhouse Liverpool is well remembered. The Danish international played just about 300 times for the “Reds” between 1984 and 1996, contributing to their various championships and awards. Mølby cemented his name in Anfield mythology by winning two FA Cups and three Premier League titles with Liverpool. For the “Honorary Scouser”, the fun did not end there.
Mølby has taken part in a number of poker tournaments after he decided to hang up his football cleats. His significant accomplishments include making the Bet24 Open final table and winning money at the Copenhagen stop of the European Poker Tour. Additionally, the Liverpool great took part in the Amsterdam Classic Masters. And to top it all off, he qualified for the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event. Pretty decent for a guy with the ability to wreck his football opponents in the living daylights, are we right?
# 8 Vikash Dhorasoo (France)
Vikash Dhorasoo used to wear jerseys from some of the top football clubs in Europe. The Frenchman won titles with Bordeaux, Milan, and PSG after helping Lyon win back-to-back Ligue 1 championships in 2003 and 2004. Additionally, Dhorasoo was a member of the France team that finished as runners-up in the 2006 World Cup. He scored once while making a total of 18 caps for “Les Bleus”.
However, Dhorasoo has achieved success as a poker player more than once. After his PSG contract expired in 2006, he started playing poker professionally for Winamax. He continued on to win competitions and events, earning over $500,000 in the process. In the $2,200 Barrier Poker Tour in 2010, Dhorasoo earned $187,887 for his victory. He has also won twice on the European Poker Tour, bringing his overall earnings to over $525,000.
# 9 Jan Vang Sørensen (Denmark)
To claim that Jan Van Sørensen is not among the best footballers of all time is not unfair. In fact, many sports fans will not even be familiar with his name. The former goalkeeper had a quiet football career, playing for Odense in the Danish Superliga. However, just like Brolin, a devastating injury cut short his playing career. What then happens if your football career is cut short? Of course, you start playing poker!
Unbelievably, Sørensen has won two bracelets from the World Series of Poker over the years. He topped the $5,000 Seven Card Stud competition in 2005, three years after winning the $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha contest. His accomplishments do not end there, though. The Dane has also competed in two World Poker Tour cash finishes and made it to the final table. Additionally, he earned a money finish in the European Poker Tour, giving him a total
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