Experts explore intersection of culture, creativity at NGSC Riyadh

Jeddah - Yasmine El Tohamy - RIYADH: A footballing icon and esports star have revealed the untold truths of maintaining excellence in traditional and modern sports at the New Global Sports Conference in Riyadh.

In a discussion on the “Becoming a Modern Day Sports Hero” panel, former Manchester United star Patrice Evra and Counter-Strike titan Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo shared their personal struggles and triumphs.

While reaching the pinnacle of success may be challenging, staying at the top demands unmatched resilience, discipline and an unwavering commitment to personal and collective growth, they said.

“The key words are resilience and discipline,” said Evra, who also played for the French national team for more than a decade. “It’s easy to reach the top of the pyramid, but to stay at the top, that’s when it’s difficult.”

Toledo, of Brazil’s FURIA Esports, discussed the parallels between traditional sports and esports with Evra. The two stars highlighted the personal and external motivators that led them to decorated careers.

The Brazilian said that for the 10 ten years of his career, his parents were against the idea of their son going into professional gaming. Toledo admitted he had doubts and believed that “gaming wasn’t a reality at the time.” But his hobby soon began to feel like a real opportunity, though no one else could see it at the time.

Starting out in Brazil, Toledo began by watching established European gaming competitions and professional players. “Then I was able to start competing against them,” he said. “Then I was able to be part of the best team in the world for two years in a row.”

When asked how players maintain the physical and mental requirements of professional sport, both stars admitted to suffering a mental toll due to the immense pressure of outperforming themselves every single day.

However, Evra added: “Being depressed when you play at the highest level is a luxury. You can’t afford that because you have too much responsibility, and too many people counting on you. You can’t let them down.”

The players also talked about the necessary sacrifices that go along with ambition — the dark side of success.

Evra told a short story about his son, Lenny, who, aged three, said that he hated Manchester United because “they took my dad away.”

For Toledo, there was a surprising physical toll in practicing Counter-Strike for hours on end. The Brazilian star has suffered recurring lower back issues due to sitting, and advised all young gamers to take physical fitness and ergonomics seriously.

He touched on the importance of etiquette as well, warning that gamers often forget they are talking to other people who have real reactions and emotions.

Toledo warned aspiring esports players to avoid “losing yourself in the ecstasy of gaming.”

The message of the two stars to the next generation of athletes and gamers included being passionate about life, dedicating all efforts to achieving the best possible outcomes for themselves and the people around them, pushing for the collective good as they strive for individual success, and, most importantly, forgetting about a plan B.

“I never fix a goal in my life,” Evra said. “Sometimes you don’t reach it, you get disappointed. So, I just push myself, push myself to be the best every single day.”

Evra added that at the beginning of his career, he made his first promise to his mother: “Mom, when I sign my first professional contract, I will buy you a house.”

That promise was kept when Evra went from a kid playing on the street to a decorated footballer.