RIYADH: Former Dutch international footballer Wesley Sneijder has opened up on his Esports World Cup experience in Riyadh, describing the event as “insane” while tipping esports to be the future of global sport.
The former Ajax, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Galatasaray attacking midfielder — widely considered one of the best of his generation — visited Boulevard Riyadh City on Sunday during the Grand Finals of StarCraft II, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, and EA Sports FC.
“I was invited here and I love gaming, so there was never any doubt about accepting the invitation,” said Sneijder, who with 134 appearances holds the record as the Netherlands’ most capped player of all time.
“I’ve wanted to see professional gaming from a close-up perspective for some time now. The way esports has grown in recent years is incredible.
“I had some expectations before arriving but what I’ve seen goes way beyond what I imagined — it’s insane! The venue here and the facilities within are amazing, and as a fan I’m intrigued about what the years ahead will look like for the EWC. It’s going to become bigger and bigger every year because esports look set to be the future.”
Sneijder said the event brought back fond memories of the gaming cultures at his former clubs. The Dutchman, who made his professional debut for Ajax in 2002, said this was when his own gaming journey began.
“We didn’t have computers when I was really young, but the PlayStation was around by the time I made the Ajax first team,” he said. “We played together a lot, especially in pre-season, but after a certain point we hardly slept because we were playing during the night with training the next day!
“Gaming became huge for many footballers around that time and has remained so ever since. Looking back, we never could have imagined how much more advanced and realistic games would become.”
Reflecting on his time in Italy — where Serie A, Coppa Italia and UEFA Champions League triumphs sealed a historic continental treble under legendary manager Jose Mourinho in 2009/10 — Sneijder said: “This was where we played together the most as a team. I played a lot with Mario Balotelli and Marko Arnautovic — I loved playing with those guys.
“As footballers, it was always nice to see ourselves on FIFA. It was always an exciting time wondering who the new face would be and what the new skills would be ahead of a new edition. We often spoke about these things. Our ratings were also a major talking point every season and some players were like ‘Woah, why do I only have this?’ or ‘How am I not higher?’. We were always competitive about these little things but it was always great fun.”
Besides catching the action from EA SPORTS FC 24, the inaugural installment of the new series that succeeded FIFA, Sneijder’s EWC appearance also coincided with the finale of a tournament headlined by his favorite franchise.
“I’m a huge Call of Duty fan. I’ve seen and played every edition that’s ever been released, I absolutely love it and the improvements made in each new game are incredible,” he said.
