Felipe was introduced to the club by first-team defender and fellow Brazilian, Marcal, on an emotional Skype call between Wolverhampton and Sao Paulo. The footballer also wished him the best of luck for his challenging first test as an official Wolves Esports gamer.
Starting on 17th and 18th December, the first round of the FIFA eClub Online Qualifiers will see Wolves face Ecuadorian team Barcelona eSporting Club. The next rounds will be on 7th and 8th January; 14th and 15th January; 21st and 22nd January, with fixtures yet to be announced.
The qualification for the FIFA eClub World Cup will take place in six regions: Europe, North America, South America, East Asia, Oceania, and West Asia. Out of over 480 teams, only one team from each of the six zones will emerge victorious on 28th February 2021.
Introducing our #FIFA21 roster...
— Wolves Esports (@WolvesEsports) December 16, 2020
🎮 @Fifilza7
🎮 @EbinhoB_
🎮 @FelipeeAbd
🇧🇷🐺 pic.twitter.com/OcDsoWA9rZ
For Wolves general manager for marketing and growth, Russell Jones, it is a great opportunity to have another Brazilian in the squad. He said: “We are delighted to welcome a new addition into our Wolves Esports roster in Felipe Abd. He just turned 19 years old in November, but he’s already proven himself as one of Brazil's most promising FIFA talents.
“We cannot wait to see him join our professional esporters Flavio Brito and Ebio Bernardes this season. Our ambition as a football club is the same in the English Premier League as in the esports world: to challenge the established teams and reach the top, and we hope we will demonstrate that in the coming FIFA eWorld Cup 2021."
Melvyn Wolthers, managing director of Dutch esports company Bundled, commented on how the relationship between Wolves and Bundled is going to the next level, with a major focus on Brazil to find new gamers and new fans, saying: “Since the start of our partnership in August 2018, we’ve been blessed to be working with a historical and visionary football club like Wolves.
“Millions of players have tried to become professional, but only a handful have fulfilled their dream of entering worldwide official events and clinching a title, and Wolves Esports have been amazing in changing the lives of young FIFA talents, especially in Brazil.
“Since the first edition of the tournament in 2004, there’s been just one Brazilian winning the FIFA eWorld Cup. We are working hard with our gamers Flavio Brito, Ebio Bernardes, and more recently Felipe Abd, to put the name of Wolves on that trophy, and to transform the club into a global institution in esports.”
And here's how @FelipeeAbd found out he would be representing Wolves on #FIFA21 ...
— Wolves Esports (@WolvesEsports) December 16, 2020
First team defender and fellow Brazilian, Marçal, delivered the news via video call from Wolverhampton to São Paulo.
💻🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/pflUjvawVv
Wolves Esports’ Flavio Brito, a finalist at the Brazil 2020 eSports Awards, added: “I’m very happy to complete in my third year representing Wolves. I want to thank all the Wolves fans who support me, both in England and in Brazil. I see all your messages and it makes me very proud.”
With the objective of qualifying for the World Cup play-offs and taking Wolves to the highest position in esports, he recalled some of the greatest moments in his career: “The proudest moment of my professional career was when I was undefeated on PS4 and had the best defense. I was so proud to represent my country and Wolves in such as successful fashion.”
As well as Flavio’s success, Eber Bernardes qualified for the 2019 World Cup and pledged to continue improving with the Wolves team. He said: “I cannot be happier to represent Wolves for one more season. I hope I will have good results and that I can repeat what I achieved in 2019, when I qualified for the World Championship. We will need the support from all our fans. I promise I’ll do my very best to make your proud.”
As for Felipe Abd, finishing in the top 16 in Atlanta on FIFA20 is just one of the many achievements of the young Brazilian in the last three years, and he’s ready to make himself a name in the industry.
He added: “I just can't believe that I'm now part of Wolves Esports, one of the very top teams in the world, ranking higher than elite football clubs in Europe like Manchester City, Ajax, or Olympique Lyonnais. I’m determined to work hard and win matches to make Wolves fans and my family and my friends right here in São Paulo very proud.”
Stay connected with Wolves Esports
- Watch our games on tv/wolvesesports
- Follow the progress of the Wolves teams and players on Twitter at @WolvesEsports
- Follow the Wolves eSports gamers: com/Fifilza7 | twitter.com/EbinhoB_ | twitter.com/Felipeeabd
