Football is a game of strategy and some managers and players are able to master the cerebral side of the game both on and off the pitch.
Premier League players aren't anything like the dim bulbs footballers used to be considered. Even Cole Palmer, whose own teammates are willing to label him 'stupid' in public, must have a bit about him to visualise and manifest the things he can pull off in the searing glare of elite football.
Some people are just good at everything and it should come as no surprise that a recent celebrity chess tournament was won by a top Premier League player and England international.
Crystal Palace beat Aston Villa at Wembley last Saturday to book their place in the FA Cup final against Manchester City but the successes were only just beginning for winger Eberechi Eze.
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The 26-year-old Londoner was a scorer and one of the Eagles' outstanding players in their semi-final match and showed off his strategic smarts by winning the Chess.com PogChamps 6 online tournament.
"It was a 12 player celebrity competition in which Eze earned a bye into the semi-finals after coming through the round-robin stage," reports talkSPORT. The win was worth a cool $20,000.
"In the semi-finals he beat gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik 2-0 and then bested YouTuber Sapnap in Friday’s final by the same scoreline.
"As Eze secured his victory he shouted ‘come on’ and smiled into the camera with a fist pump."
Steady on, Ebere.
Long regarded as one of South London's most exciting active prospects, Eze joined Palace from Queens Park Rangers in 2020 and has been building a fearsome reputation as a Premier League attacker ever since.
He's come into his own in the two years since Wilfried Zaha left the club for the second time, putting himself in regular consideration for the England squad and, inevitably, in the transfer thinking of clubs with enough money to think they can tempt the Eagles into selling another one of their crown jewels.
Eze scored his first international goal in England's 3-0 win over Latvia in March, prompting teammate Marc Guehi to say: "I'm over the moon for him. I'm glad that went in for him."
Steady on, Marc.
Topics: Premier League, Crystal Palace
Chris Nee