Tosaint Ricketts is the latest player to FIFA 24 Coins make the switch from grass to pixels. His successful 14-year career playing professional football (“soccer,” in his words) took him across the world, from Finland, to Turkey, to Lithuania, before returning to his native Canada. Between stints at Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps, Ricketts won the MLS Cup, MLS Supporters Shield, and three Canadian Championships. He also made 61 appearances for the Canadian national team, ending his career in the top ten scorers. But video games have always been a part of his life.
“I’ve always been a gamer,” he tells me. “My earliest childhood memories are of me battling my brothers to get a few minutes on the original Nintendo [Entertainment System], playing games like the first Legend of Zelda (with the gold cartridge) and Super Mario Bros. 3 – classics!”
This love of gaming continued as he grew up and entered the world of professional football.
“Gaming is a massive part of most athletes' lives,” he says. “It occupies a lot of their free time and for me was a great way to decompress. Here at Whitecaps, we never had official competitions, but we did play a lot of Warzone, and we took it very seriously.”
“It’s a huge step, maybe one I wasn’t prepared for.” - Tosaint Ricketts
I was particularly interested in the perceived effect of video games on health. Many parents will tell their kids to get off the computer and go outside, mainstream news sites will run stories about the negative effects of gaming, and a common insult from online opponents is to go outside and touch grass. What does a professional athlete, who has excelled in both physical and virtual arenas, make of buy FIFA 24 Coins gaming as a hobby?