“Going to the gala is the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me and it’s only going to motivate me even more to win the FIWC again,” said Mohamad Al-Bacha after returning home to Copenhagen following his unique experience at The Best FIFA Football Awards™ ceremony.
The crème de la crème of world football gathered in Zurich on 9 January to witness the presenting of the coveted platinum-coated trophies to the heroes of 2016. And thanks to his victory in the final of the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2016, Al-Bacha was there with them, having been invited to join the stars of the world game at The Best FIFA Football Awards following his virtual world title win last March.
“You could say I got a star’s welcome,” said the 18-year-old Dane, who responded to several requests for selfies on his arrival at the TPC Studios. “I get that from time to time, but obviously not every five seconds like Ronaldo and the other players. People recognise me now, though. It was fantastic to be on the red carpet and to have people asking for photos.”
The teenager also hunted down a few photos of his own, posing for snaps with players he usually sees in his Ultimate Team line-up on FIFA 17 and then posting them on social media. “I want to remember every single moment, but if there’s one that stands out, then it was when Ronaldo won the Player of the Year award. I was very happy because he’s my favourite player.”
“I was made to feel very welcome among all these footballing greats. It was wonderful to rub shoulders with them and they were all very nice to me,” added Al-Bacha, who supports Real Madrid. “There was Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo the Brazilian, Egyptian legend Mohamed Aboutrika, Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric, Manuel Neuer, Antoine Griezmann, David Trezeguet, Eric Abidal, Marcel Desailly and even Diego Maradona. In fact, I met everyone there. It was just perfect.” The FIWC champion no doubt made a few of his followers turn green with envy when he posted the below tweets:
Having enjoyed such a memorable evening, he is more determined than ever to go and win the world title again. That said, the FIWC 17 Grand Final is still some way off for Al-Bacha, who has had a busy year fulfilling his obligations as reigning world champion, while also trying to complete his biology and PE studies.
“My results in qualifying haven’t been that great up to now, but if I can get through then I think I’ve got every chance,” he explained. “I’ve got a lot of studying to do and I’ve been travelling a lot, which hasn’t given me much time to focus on FIFA. It’s a bit different to last year, when I had a lot more time to play. That’s no excuse, though,” he added with a smile.