{"id":5890,"date":"2021-10-18T14:32:12","date_gmt":"2021-10-18T12:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1390613"},"modified":"2021-10-18T14:44:14","modified_gmt":"2021-10-18T12:44:14","slug":"fifa-22-star-tom-leese-esports-legend-says-hes-terrible-at-all-other-games","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/fifa-22-star-tom-leese-esports-legend-says-hes-terrible-at-all-other-games\/","title":{"rendered":"FIFA 22 star Tom Leese: Esports legend says he\u2019s \u201cterrible at all other games\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"rssexcerpt\"><\/p><p class=\"rssauthor\">By Jake Wilson\n                \t\t<\/p><p class=\"rssbyline\">Published: Monday, 18 October 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p><hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/><?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\" standalone=\"yes\"?>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><p>\u201cI am terrible at all other games,\u201d Tom Leese told us at a swanky event in London. \u201cI used to play <a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tag\/call-of-duty\/&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\">Call of Duty<\/a> back in the Modern Warfare 2 and World of War days, but I was no good. I tried <a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tag\/fortnite\/&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\">Fortnite<\/a> when it was booming and I was terrible at that. I also tried NBA 2K, terrible at that. For some reason, FIFA\u2019s the only game I\u2019m good at!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Saying that Tom Leese is good at <a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tag\/fifa\/&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\">FIFA<\/a> is like saying Lionel Messi is good at football. While he might not be bagging many Warzone wins, Victory Royales or slam dunks, the young football gaming star is on top of the world when it comes to FIFA esports \u2013 and he\u2019s helping change the game.<\/p>\n<p>The 22-year-old has recently made esports history, moving from YouTube sensations <a href=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/futse100&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\">Hashtag United<\/a> to a new home at <a href=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC4lnJ7vD_krWxAT1z9bfQFQ&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\">EXCEL<\/a> in a \u2018first of its kind\u2019 transfer. There have been many transfers between FIFA esports teams to this point, but this one stands apart due to the reported fee involved. It is rumoured that securing Leese\u2019s signature cost the ambitious EXCEL team a six-figure fee.<\/p>\n<p>Tom\u2019s transfer fee, therefore, is larger than many seen in professional football itself and has attracted attention from all corners. The move was even reported by premier football news outlet, <a href=\"\/\/www.skysports.com\/more-sports\/esports\/news\/34214\/12383055\/tom-leese-hashtags-e-lion-set-for-first-of-its-kind-transfer&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\">Sky Sports<\/a>.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\"&quot;WELCOME\" tom=\"\" xl=\"\" fifa=\"\" announcement=\"\" width=\"&quot;200&quot;\" height=\"&quot;113&quot;\" src=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/obLMSbgear0?feature=oembed&quot;\" frameborder=\"&quot;0&quot;\" allow=\"&quot;accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<p>With this move, EXCEL have upped the stakes in FIFA esports. It\u2019s a landmark move for the industry, but also one for Tom personally. \u201cIt\u2019s a big move for me,\u201d he says. \u201cI was massively ingrained in what was happening at Hashtag but I\u2019ve really enjoyed things so far.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hashtag United have one of the biggest online football platforms in the world. The Isthmian League North football club was born and raised on YouTube, growing from a team playing exhibition matches into a very well-supported semi-professional outfit. The brand extends further too, with a well-backed women\u2019s team and a successful esports team both parts of their growing reach.<\/p>\n<p>Hashtag\u2019s combined outlets boast more than a quarter of a million Twitter followers, more than half a million subscribers on YouTube and have big name recognition and influence in the footballing world. They are not an easy team to leave.<\/p>\n<div class=\"&quot;image-handler__container\" image-handler__container--aspect=\"\" style=\"&quot;padding-bottom:\" calc=\"\"> <picture><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/10\/Tom-Leese-FIFA-ae54a98.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;resize=299%2C199,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/10\/Tom-Leese-FIFA-ae54a98.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=299%2C199,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/10\/Tom-Leese-FIFA-ae54a98.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;resize=354%2C236&quot;\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/10\/Tom-Leese-FIFA-ae54a98.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=354%2C236&quot;\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/10\/Tom-Leese-FIFA-ae54a98.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;resize=404%2C269&quot;\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/10\/Tom-Leese-FIFA-ae54a98.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=404%2C269&quot;\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/10\/Tom-Leese-FIFA-ae54a98.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;resize=554%2C369&quot;\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/10\/Tom-Leese-FIFA-ae54a98.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=554%2C369&quot;\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/10\/Tom-Leese-FIFA-ae54a98.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;resize=620%2C413&quot;\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/10\/Tom-Leese-FIFA-ae54a98.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=620%2C413&quot;\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/10\/Tom-Leese-FIFA-ae54a98.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;resize=407%2C271&quot;\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/10\/Tom-Leese-FIFA-ae54a98.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=407%2C271&quot;\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/10\/Tom-Leese-FIFA-ae54a98.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;resize=555%2C370&quot;\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/10\/Tom-Leese-FIFA-ae54a98.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=555%2C370&quot;\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><img class=\"&quot;wp-image-1390655\" align=\"\" size-landscape_thumbnail=\"\" image-handler__image=\"\" image-handler__image--aspect=\"\" no-wrap=\"\" js-lazyload=\"\" data-src=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/10\/Tom-Leese-FIFA-ae54a98.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=620%2C413&quot;\" width=\"&quot;620&quot;\" height=\"&quot;413&quot;\" alt=\"&quot;Tom\" leese=\"\" is=\"\" one=\"\" of=\"\" the=\"\" best=\"\" fifa=\"\" players=\"\" in=\"\" world.=\"\" title=\"&quot;Tom\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div><div class=\"&quot;caption-hold&quot;\"><figcaption class=\"&quot;wp-caption-text&quot;\"><span class=\"&quot;caption-copy&quot;\"><i class=\"&quot;icon-arrow\" icon-camera-circle=\"\"\/> Tom Leese is one of the best FIFA players in the world.<\/span><\/figcaption><span class=\"&quot;im-image-caption&quot;\"> <i>Getty<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<p>EXCEL, however, are planning to extend their own empire. With the signings of Tom and his new teammate, 2017 FIFA eSports World Cup winner Spencer \u2018Gorilla\u2019 Ealing, as well as the addition of Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli to the mix as an ambassador, EXCEL are looking to start big and continue strong as they dip back into the world of FIFA esports.<\/p>\n<p>It was this ambition from EXCEL, and the team\u2019s track record of success in games like League of Legends and Fortnite, that convinced Tom that a move was the best option for him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKnowing that they want to go to the top of esports in FIFA, like they have in other games, that excited me. It seemed like their priority was to make me the best person I can be, commercially and in content-creation, and also as a player.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>EXCEL\u2019s strategy is a holistic one. They want to turn Tom and Spencer into the most commercial products they can, and that starts by them winning FIFA tournaments. To support their players as they try to do this, they\u2019ve created an impressive HQ for them to train in and stream from, recruited former FIFA esports pro Nathan \u201cZelonius\u201d Horton to manage their players and, importantly, hired a performance analyst to help push the lads to their max.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read more on FIFA 22:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul><li><a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/technology\/gaming\/fifa-22-cheap-players-free-agents\/&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\"><strong>FIFA 22 cheap players<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 find a bargain in Career Mode<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/technology\/gaming\/fifa-22-wonderkids-best-young-players\/&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\"><strong>FIFA 22 young players<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 the best wonderkids to sign<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/technology\/gaming\/fifa-22-review-xbox-comment\/&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\"><strong>FIFA 22 review<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 a giant leap for realism, but some things never change<\/li>\n<\/ul><p>\u201cBeing good at FIFA isn\u2019t enough,\u201d Tom says. \u201cMentality is massive, being in the right headspace, because you have to be composed when the time comes. You can\u2019t really prepare for playing in big finals, for \u00a320k, \u00a350k, even \u00a3100k. It just comes down to your mental state and how composed you are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s strange for me because I\u2019ve always been chasing,\u201d he admits. \u201cI\u2019ve always looked at Tekkz or Dossary or Gorilla and wanted to get to their level, but now I\u2019m happy that I\u2019m at that level. It\u2019s where I knew I should\u2019ve been, though it\u2019s taken me a while to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Leese proved his credentials last year, outlasting some of the best players in the country to win the ePremier League trophy for Watford. He also pulls on the Three Lions shirt to represent England as part of the eLions \u2013 but Leese only wants more success.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy only goal is to win as many trophies as I can, every single tournament. I don\u2019t prioritise them, I just want a clean haul of trophies. I want to be that guy, when people talk about FIFA esports, they talk about Tom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>People are already talking about Tom. He has gone from losing to his big brother on FIFA, to being too good to play against his mates, to becoming an esports history-maker. As long as he doesn\u2019t swap to CoD or Fortnite, he\u2019ll only make more history in his new surroundings.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For more FIFA 22 content, check out the latest issue of the UK\u2019s best-selling footy mag, BBC Match of the Day magazine, in shops now. To subscribe, head to <a href=\"\/\/www.buysubscriptions.com\/print\/match-of-the-day-magazine-subscription&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\">BuySubscriptions.com<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>For FIFA videos, check out BBC Match of the Day magazine\u2019s <a href=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/BBCMOTDmag&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\">YouTube channel<\/a>. Or if you\u2019re looking for something to watch on telly, see our <a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/tv-listings\/&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener noopener noreferrer\" noreferrer=\"\">TV Guide<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Visit our <a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/technology\/2020-10-07\/video-game-release-dates\/&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener noopener noreferrer\" noreferrer=\"\">video game release schedule<\/a> for all upcoming games on consoles. Swing by our hubs for more <a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/technology\/gaming\/&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener noopener noreferrer\" noreferrer=\"\">Gaming<\/a> and <a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/technology\/&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener noopener noreferrer\" noreferrer=\"\">Technology<\/a>\u00a0news.<\/strong><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Jake Wilson Published: Monday, 18 October 2021 at 12:00 am \u201cI am terrible at all other games,\u201d Tom Leese told us at a swanky event in London. \u201cI used to play Call of Duty back in the Modern Warfare 2 and World of War days, but I was no good. I tried Fortnite when [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":5891,"template":"","categories":[8],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/10\/fifa-22-star-tom-leese-esports-legend-says-hes-terrible-at-all-other-games.jpg",620,413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/10\/fifa-22-star-tom-leese-esports-legend-says-hes-terrible-at-all-other-games-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/10\/fifa-22-star-tom-leese-esports-legend-says-hes-terrible-at-all-other-games-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/10\/fifa-22-star-tom-leese-esports-legend-says-hes-terrible-at-all-other-games.jpg",620,413,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/10\/fifa-22-star-tom-leese-esports-legend-says-hes-terrible-at-all-other-games.jpg",620,413,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/10\/fifa-22-star-tom-leese-esports-legend-says-hes-terrible-at-all-other-games.jpg",620,413,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/10\/fifa-22-star-tom-leese-esports-legend-says-hes-terrible-at-all-other-games.jpg",620,413,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Jake Wilson Published: Monday, 18 October 2021 at 12:00 am \u201cI am terrible at all other games,\u201d Tom Leese told us at a swanky event in London. \u201cI used to play Call of Duty back in the Modern Warfare 2 and World of War days, but I was no good. I tried Fortnite when&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/5890"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}