Football Stars That Are Really Good at Gambling

Poker at home while watching the action in Brazil - two great games on the go! pic.twitter.com/46xaDGwHob
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) August 20, 2016

Many professional football players enjoy casino games. Some of them just enjoy playing it, while some find it as a possible way to make money, especially after their football career is over. And, there are those whose passion for winning in football is reflected in their true passion for playing casino games, especially those like poker. These are usually among the very best of football players.

We all remember when Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar were the ambassadors of PokerStars and met up with some of the most famous poker players for a match throughout 2016. We also know Beckham, who is for a long time already into esports, and casino promotions. And there are many more others.

Tony Sheringham

This quick-witted striker who played for West Ham, Manchester United, Sheringham, and Tottenham, is the eleventh highest scorer of all time in the English Premier League.

He is also an amazing poker player. In 2016, he finished 14th in the World Series of Poker Main Event, earning $60,000. In 2010 he earned his biggest win yet, $127,000 for fifth place in the EPT in Portugal. His career winnings are over $300,000!

Gerard Pique

The Spanish player is one of the best defenders in the world and continues to display his amazing skills playing for Barcelona and winning every possible club and international trophy. Pique is also involved in the European Poker Tour and in 2019, he won $391,772 for finishing second in a tournament.

So far, Pique managed to earn $668,000 from poker to add to his massive wealth from his contract with Barcelona.

Cristiano Ronaldo

His passion for poker is well-known and has a very long history. It goes back to when Cristiano Ronaldo was in his 20s and was playing poker for hours straight with his friends at home.

In 2015, Ronaldo signed a deal with PokerStars, the most popular poker company in the world and one of the world's top online poker rooms. He is also known for his passion for online poker and many fans around the world follow in his footsteps in this regard as well. One good example is online casino NZ where a vast amount of players join online poker tournaments (as well as many other games) on a daily basis.

But his involvement with poker goes beyond that. He also played against professional poker players such as Aaron Paul and won!

Tony Cascarino

Before retiring, Cascarino played 629 club games (for Celtic and Chelsea) and 88 appearances for Ireland.

Since then he won more than half a million dollars playing poker. His most well-known victory came in the 2009 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour Grand Final when he finished first and claimed the £168,800 top prize. His total poker earnings are estimated at $595,000. He is not only one of the most respected footballers in Ireland, but also one of the most respected footballers-turned-poker players in the World!

Jan Vang Sorensen

After his football career came to an end with a severe knee injury, in 1995 the Danish football player joined the World Series of Poker (WSOP). His first big win came in 1998 when he won DM125, 000 in Dortmund.

In addition to that, he also won $185,000 and $293, 275 for the Pt-Limit Omaha, and 7-Card Stud, respectively. Sorensen has earned over $2,180,585 million from poker and solidified his reputation as one of the world's best poker players.

Ronaldo

He has two World Cup titles and in his home country of Brazil, he trails only the legend that is Pele in the number of scored goals for the national team. Ronaldo is a member of both the Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame and the Italian Football Hall of Fame. In media interviews in Monaco, he was even asked to sign green and yellow jersey.

But these days the legendary two-time Ballon d'Or winner has more passion for poker than for football - in 2015 he even skipped watching the Ballon d'Or ceremony to play in a poker tournament in the Bahamas!

"I really don't play football anymore, even with friends, but when I play poker, I'm very competitive," Ronaldo said. "Last year, I went to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas and finished 26th in the Main Event out of 900 players. It was amazing. Now, every time I play, I want to go far. I want to win."