Even though soccer players today have high incomes, most of them have a lot of other interests like poker. There are many famous soccer players around the world who have participated in professional poker tables.
The game of poker has a huge following and there could be no shortage of athletes. Athletes from all sports like football, basketball, golf and soccer have spent a lot of time playing in poker tournaments. Players like Michael Jordan, Richard Seymour and Ronaldo are just a few of them who have participated in major poker tournaments.
Also, many of them have managed to place big in some of the biggest poker tournaments like the World Series of Poker. However, today we will focus on the soccer players who have played poker in big tournaments.
Top 7 soccer players that have played at pro-poker tables
The following soccer players have played at the same tables with poker legends like Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu. Comparing professional soccer players and poker stars, they do for sure have one thing in common: their popularity. Of course, the athletes below usually aren’t professionals in poker and therefore, can’t be compared to the top poker players of all time in terms of earnings. Still, some of them clearly have the talent to play at pro level:
Gerard Pique
Most of the time he is seen as one of the defenders in Barcelona FC, but Gerard Pique is a multi-talented guy. The Spanish defender has proven that he is a great poker player. To be more precise, Pique participated in the EPT (European Poker Tour) in 2019 and managed to finish in second place, winning $390,000.
Neymar Jr.
The Brazilian is one of the most famous soccer players in the world. In fact, his transfer to PSG is still the most expensive one of all time with more than $220 million. But Neymar is also a fan of poker. He may not have won a large amount of money in poker tables, but he has managed to win €18,000. His biggest achievement at poker tables is the 6th place at the BSOP (Brazilian Series of Poker) in 2018.
Ronaldo
He is one of the most iconic soccer players of all time. With two Ballon d’Ors, Ronaldo is part of the hall of fame of soccer history around the world. Apart from his talent in football, one of his greatest interests is playing poker.
The only thing we have to say about Ronaldo and poker is that in 2015 he did not see the Ballon d’Or ceremony because he was playing poker in a big tournament organized by PokerStars in the Caribbean. In this tournament he managed to finish in 26th place and win a great payout of $42,000.
Teddy Sheringham
Teddy Sheringham is a well-known striker from his time at Manchester United and Tottenham teams. However, he is not only a good goal scorer but also a good poker player. He has an amazing income from poker games, which amounts to about $300,000. He experienced the greatest moment of his poker career in 2016 at the WSOP Main Event. In this tournament Teddy Sheringham made it to the last 15, more precisely to 14th place. His winnings from this tournament amounted to $60,000.
Tony Cascarino
He was one of the greatest Irish strikers of his time. Tony Cascarino managed to play for some of the biggest soccer teams in Europe such as Chelsea, Celtic, Marseille and more. After his retirement, he decided to become a professional poker player. His greatest moment at the poker tables came in 2009 when he won the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour Grand Final. Cascarino is one of the greatest soccer players to have played poker, as his total income is estimated at over $500,000.
Jan Vang Sørensen
Jan Vang Sørensen is one of the unlucky people among soccer players, as he retired from soccer at the age of 30 after a serious knee injury. However, he turned to the poker tables and we can say that he has made great gains in this game. He is one of the few soccer players who play poker and have WSOP bracelets. To be exact, he managed to win two WSOP events: in 2002 ($2,500 Pot Limit Omaha) and in 2005 ($5,000 Seven Card Stud).
David Levi
You may not know him as a soccer player, as he had a brief soccer career with Hapoel Ramat Gan. But you may know him as a professional poker player. After his retirement from the soccer world, Levi became a successful poker player. His earnings from poker are amazing and are estimated at over $2.6 million.
Levi has participated in many World Series of Poker events in the past and has made it to two final tables. One of his greatest moments in poker was in 2007 when he finished 3rd in the Mandalay Bay Poker Championship.