Lazio completed the transfer of Oliver Provstgaard from Vejle on the transfer deadline day. The 21 years old Danish defender has signed a contract with the Italian giants until the end of the 2028/29 season, according to media reports.
For most people, it’s just another young player who will start a new adventure in one of Europe’s top five leagues. But for EA Sports FC fans, especially those in the competitive scene, this news made big headlines on social media.
Oliver Provstgaard was an avid FIFA players, in fact a very good one. His skills on the pitch translated seamlessly to the virtual world, when he competed and won the eChampions League 2021 under the name of OliverPN.
How a pro-footballer Oliver Provstgaard won the eChampions League 2021 tournament
Provstgaard was a part of Vejle, a professional football club in Denmark where he made his professional debut in the Danish Superliga. At the end of 2020, during an U-19 match for Vejle, Provstgaard suffered a serious knee injury which sidelined him for 8 months.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many football organizations, leagues, and clubs used FIFA 21 as a way to connect to their audiences. As part of its partnership with UEFA, EA Sports organized a tournament called the eChampions League 2021, where Europe’s best FIFA players competed for a total prize pool of $281,000 USD.
Provstgaard who was still recovering from his injury at that time, decided to test his FIFA skills and entered the tournament. He was one of 47 players who had to go through the qualifiers and managed to secure a spot in the main tournament by finishing in the top 32.
Despite not being the favorite, Provstgaard defied the odds and dominated the tournament. He went undefeated, securing a spot in the grand finals through the upper bracket after defeating EthxnH with an aggregate score of 5-1
He then faced AC Monza’s ER_Caccia98 in the grand finals, in a match to determine who will be eChampions League 2021 winner and won the $75,000 USD cash prize.
Provstgaard took the lead in the grand finals by defeating the Italian 2-1 in the first leg. With that advantage, he only needed a draw in the second leg to secure the tournament victory.
ER_Caccia didn’t make it easy for Provstgaard, scoring the opening goal in the second leg to level the aggregate at 2-2. However, a thunderous left-footed strike from Neymar put OliverPN back in front, making it 3-2 on aggregate. The score remained unchanged until the final whistle, crowning Oliver Provstgaard as the eChampions League 2021 winner.
That was the only time Oliver Provstgaard competed in an official FIFA tournament, as he decided to hang up his controller and focus on his recovery to return to the pitch. His recovery was a success, and he rejoined Vejle to prepare for the 2021/22 Danish Superliga season. He finally made his professional debut on April 14, 2022, playing the full 90 minutes against OB in the Danish Superliga.
