Interview with FIFA finalist

Soccer, It’s More Than a Sport
Soccer is a sport people enjoy being a part of. Whether it’s physically playing on the field, watching on the tube, or playing virtually, it is a game that requires a lot of thought and energy. For 22 year old Michael Ribeiro, it’s also a way of life.
Being a fan of soccer since he was five years old, he began by kicking a ball to becoming the number one defender for his high school varsity team.
Born and raised in Union, New Jersey, he grew up in a four bedroom house with his older brother and parents. He had plenty of friends that kept him busy playing the physical version of the sport, allowing him to stay physically active and improve each time he stepped out onto the field. However, the physical demands were sometimes too much to handle.
“We used to play every single day, Ribeiro began saying. “I would go home huffing and puffing. After cleaning up, I would pass out.”
He explained how he would run about 2-3 miles a game, and would depart from the field with bruises all over his legs. His entire body ached and his thirst level caused him to consume 3 entire bottles of water after each game.
According to Ribeiro, playing virtually was less painful but more stressful. Sitting on a chair and staring at a TV screen while pressing buttons on a controller seemed easy. However, when he was having a bad game, the anger was too much too handle. He took his controller and smashed it against his wall, the parts all scattering on the floor.
The game he played was FIFA, the most popular interactive soccer game that is played around the world. The letters stand for Federation International Football Association. He had even more time to play virtually when his early career took a sour turn in 2006.
“It was a 50/50 chance and I decided to go for it. Unfortunately for me, the other guy did the same,” Ribeiro said. “We both slid to clear the ball but our knees collided at full speed. I’ll never forget that day.”
That was the first of three major injuries that led him to have numerous surgeries. The recovery took longer each time.
“I used to play every day in high school. No one could get past me. Now, all I have left is FIFA. Thank God I am good at that too,” he said.
Using the game tag FigoSkillz, Ribeiro began to take the interactive soccer world by storm in FIFA 2004, where he was ranked in the top ten. The following year, he was in first place throughout the entire United States. However during 2008, he took part in an unforgettable journey when he played in the FIFA Interactive World Cup (FIWC). The grand prize of this tournament was $20, 000.
“Yeah, 2008 was probably my greatest year in FIFA. I made it to Germany, representing the United States to play in the FIWC,” Ribeiro began saying. “I advanced to the final but it’s not a memory I am too fond of.”
After playing a plethora of matches to advance to the final, he fell short of the championship.
“I played against this kid, Ramos, who beat me 3-1. I dominated the game from start to finish. All he did was cross the ball three times and hit it in.” Ribeiro stated. “It was complete luck, that’s all it was.”
“I had the chance to win $20, 000. That is exactly half of my college tuition. I made it that far and blew it,” he said. “I want to forget about it, but something that big can never be forgotten, its etched deep inside my heart.”
He shook his head when he mentioned that the second place prize was a European version of a Playstation 3 game console. According to him, using a converter for that specific model would lead it to malfunctioning in less than a year.
Nowadays, the second place prize is $5, 000 while the third placed finishers win $1, 000. Both of those prizes are more valuable than Ribeiro’s second placed PS3 prize. He is still angry three years later. However, he still plays FIFA till this very day and continues to impress in FIFA 12. He hopes to make it to the finals again when the tournament will be held in Milan, Italy next May.
The virtual game of soccer is a huge part of his life, but he still misses physically playing the sport he loves.
He will be having his fourth knee surgery on his torn ACL again in a few months. He came back from all the other surgeries, but this one might be tougher to recover from.
“I’ve gone through three surgeries and each time my knee was weaker than before,” he began. “Now, I will have my fourth and hopefully my last. It depends on how much I play or if I play at all after my recovery.”
Ribeiro hasn’t been able to perform at full strength since his very first surgery back in 2006. Having two more surgeries didn’t improve matters. Now having a fourth will make things much tougher, according to his doctor.
“He tells me not to play even two months after recovery,” he said. “Truth be told, I don’t care what he says. It’s a part of who I am and who I always will be. This sport will never stop flowing through my veins.”