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Portugese football club Sporting Lisbon has entered the eSports world by signing top Portuguese FIFA player Francisco "Quinzas" Cruz.
The 21 year old player has been in the FIFA scene since he was just 14, and became the youngest ever FIFA World Champion in 2011. Cruz is one of the best FIFA players in the world even today, making him a strong acquisition for Sporting Lisbon’s eSports program.
As well as signing Cruz to represent the club at events the eSports branch of Sporting Lisbon will also be running eSports events. The Lion Games will be the first event, which will allow FIFA players to compete to become a Sporting Lisbon athlete. More details on the Lion Games will be announced in August.
Sporting Lisbon’s eSports department already has a number of partners, including G2A, Elgato, Ozone Gaming, LG Electronics and Gamer Shop.
Of course Sporting Lisbon isn’t the first football club to get involved with eSports, just a few weeks ago Manchester City unveiled its first FIFA player, with West Ham doing the same earlier in the year. Perhaps the biggest investment came from German side FC Schalke 04 when the organisation purchased a slot in the EU LCS just before the Summer Split.
