The poker boom as well as the rise of Online Poker over the years has created a means for celebrities and athletes to become more involved and invested in the online poker game.
Seeing football players playing poker during the season or in the offseason should come as no surprise as the competitive nature of the game is similar to what happens on the football pitch.
Poker is a game that requires skill and discipline and these are attributes the best and most famous players possess.
Whether it was at live cash games or at online tournaments like the European poker tour, we take a look at players that have been seen playing poker online.
Andriy Shevchenko
Andriy Shevchenko is a Ukrainian football manager who had a legendary career playing for Dynamo Kyiv, Chelsea and AC Milan as a striker.
Shevchenko has competed in online poker events, including the WSOP Online poker Bracelet Events, where he played heads-up against two-time WSOP bracelet winner Yuri Dzivielevski in Event #79: $25,000 Heads Up No Limit Hold’em.
Shevchenko has also competed in charity matches against former athletes and celebrities such as Rafael Nadal, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Daniel Negreanu.
Neymar Jr
The Brazilian football star will not be a new name to fans in the poker world. Neymar Jr is a former Barcelona player who currently Plays for French Giants Paris Saint Germain.
He has featured in three World Cups and has won one UEFA Champions League titles as well as winning domestic trophies in France and Spain.
Already world famous for his dazzling skills on the pitch, Neymar is also a great Poker player.
Neymar has long been a celebrity spokesperson for PokerStars and started playing poker early in his football days.
The Brazilian has competed in many poker tournaments across the world through PokerStars, including the 2018 Brazilian Series of Poker, where he finished sixth and took home $21,072 in cash.
Neymar Jr earns a hefty sum of over $700,000 a week at his football club so you know he is playing for more than just the money.
Gerard Pique
Neymar’s former Barcelona teammate and the now retired Gerard Pique is the next on this list.
Regarded by many as one of the greatest defenders of his generation, Pique is one of the most accomplished football players in the modern game and was part of a Barcelona team in the late 2000s and early 2010s that was regarded as the greatest football team of all time.
Pique is also a pretty good poker player with decent tournament winnings to his name.
He has often participated in high-roller poker tournaments since 2011, cashing four times in EPT events.
His largest victory to date came in 2019, when he took second place in the €25k No Limit Hold’em Championship event at EPT Barcelona, winning almost €350k.
Pique has almost 500,000 Euros in online poker wins and, having retired from professional football in November 2022, we may see a lot more of him at the poker tables in the coming years.
Max Kruse
The Union Berlin Striker has played for several football clubs in Germany and has featured in several poker tournaments as well.
He is an ardent poker player and one of the most active professional footballers in the poker world right now.
Lat year, Kruse attended the 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas. He was seen at the final poker table of Event #29: $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw but was eliminated first.
He won his most money in 2021 when he finished fifth in the $10,000 No Limit Hold’em – Heads Up Championship ONLINE (Event #15) for $62,156. There is definitely more to come from him at poker tables.
Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon, also known as “Gigi,” is a FIFA World Cup winner who is one of the greatest goalkeepers and Italian footballers of all time who enjoys playing poker in his spare time.
Now playing for Parma in Serie B but his time with Juventus is where he made his legend.
He began as an obscure online gamer, but that changed when he won numerous important online competitions.
Gigi’s love of poker derives from his love of competition, and as his skill progressed, he gained the attention of PokerStars.
In 2010, he was invited to join Team PokerStars alongside Daniel Negreanu and Chris Moneymaker.
He also became the brand ambassador for PokerStars’ Italian market and appeared in European Poker Tour live and online tournaments.
If you are an Online poker player, you may even get the opportunity to play against him someday. Buffon is known to love online tournaments and is frequently spotted playing poker professionally as “Gigi Buffon,” his football moniker.
Poli Rincon
Pioli Rincon, a former Real Madrid striker, played in the 1986 World Cup and scored 10 goals in 22 international appearances for the Spanish National team.
He has perhaps become as famous in his homeland for his poker talents as he has for his football ability.
He made a modest fortune playing poker games and online poker. He finished in the money at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and Estrellas Poker Tour.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Neymar Jr stablemate ambassador at PokerStars was Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo, a player who is regarded by many to be the greatest football player of all time.
With over 800 career goals to his name, five UEFA Champions League titles, League titles in Spain, Italy and England, it is hard not to see why.
While he didn’t exhibit as much enthusiasm for the game as Neymar did, the former Manchester United star who currently plays for Saudi Arabian side, Al Nassr, did have some memorable moments on the field.
Ronaldo has taken part in several cash games and was famously part of PokerStars Duel, where he competed against other celebrities in heads-up poker.
He won both of his matches, against Aaron Paul from Breaking Bad and Mireia Lalaguna, the reigning Miss World at the time.
But, being one of the world’s richest athletes, the money at the poker tables means nothing to Ronaldo, and when he wins, he always donates the money to charity.
