"It’s kind of funny when I think about it now," says Oliver Provstgaard, his smile widening. "I arrived on the scene, won one of the biggest tournaments, and then just walked away. It almost felt disrespectful."
From a peaceful, less-touristy part of northern Rome, the unassuming Dane is sat in his apartment with SPORTbible, reflecting on a moment that would've ordinarily changed the life of any professional eSports player, never mind a first-timer like Provstgaard.
On the evening of May 28, 2021, more than 50,000 people tuned in to watch OliverPN beat heavy favourite AC Monza Caccia in the eChampions League Grand Final.
It was an achievement described by EA Sports – and many others at the time – as the most incredible underdog story in FIFA history. Ian Wright, the former Arsenal striker, was on commentary duty that day alongside Manchester City pro Ryan Pessoa.
“As the rounds progressed, I started to realise that he was the real deal because he was beating so many top pros,” Pessoa tells us.
"He made the game look so easy and didn’t seem flustered at all. Maybe his experience playing professional football helped him cope with the high-pressure situations. And the best part is, he took home $75,000 and never played another event.“
That’s right. Provstgaard walked away from the professional scene for good, just weeks after winning a five-figure sum.
In fact, he gave his spot in the play-offs to Tim "TheStrxngeR" Katnawatos, after the German missed out by one place. ”I’m still so thankful to him,” Tim says. "Every time I see him in EA FC now, I think of when he gave me his place in the play-offs. I was so lucky.”
It’s been almost four years to the day since that final and life couldn't be more different for Provstgaard.
After earning a dream move to Lazio on transfer deadline day, the highly-rated defender will captain Denmark at this summer’s Under-21 European Championship in Slovakia, where he will come up against some of the world's best up-and-coming talent.
"I’m so grateful,” he tells us, two months after making his Serie A debut against Atalanta. “It’s incredible how far I’ve come.”
Fresh from a session at the Centro sportivo di Formello, the training ground of Italian giants Lazio, Provstgaard has transported himself back to the Vejle Stadium in Denmark; home of boyhood club Vejle Boldklub.
It is November 2020 and the promising centre-back is playing for Vejle under-19's against FCK, just weeks after being included in the first-team squad for a Danish Cup game.
Everything was pointing towards a well-earned senior debut for Constantin Galca's side, but then disaster struck.
"It came at the worst possible time," says Provstgaard, looking down at the ground. "I was just starting to train with the first-team, and then it happened. It felt like a huge setback."
Provstgaard still looks a tad uneasy as he sets the scene. "It was a weird one," he recalls. "I scored a goal from a free-kick but as I went up for the header, the opposition goalkeeper collided with me just as I landed. It was really tough."
At such a pivotal stage in his development, a freak accident put everything on hold. The teenager broke down in tears as a doctor uttered the four words no footballer wants to hear; anterior cruciate ligament injury.
A long road to recovery – and the potential to miss out on some of the important moments of his career – beckoned for Provstgaard, but in a series of events that almost aided his situation, the football world continued to be rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It helped in a way because everyone had to deal with the lockdown, not just me," he says. "I was able to focus on my rehab while everyone else was stuck at home, so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. I learned so much about myself."
Provstgaard was still in secondary education at the time, so he would balance his free time with school work, ACL rehab and playing FIFA.
In his own words, he was more of a "casual" gamer before the pandemic, but after his best friend, Emil Skifter – a professional eSports player who won thousands at the FIFA 21 Global Series – encouraged him to improve, Provstgaard got to work.
"Emil was one of the best in Denmark, and he'd beaten me more times than I could count," says the 22-year-old. "Even when I lost, we’d just laugh about it. It wasn’t serious at first but my mindset has always been that if I’m going to do something, then I’ll put everything into it."
How much FIFA did he actually play during the lockdown period? "A lot," he laughs.
"After school and rehab, I’d just hop on Discord at around 5pm with my friends and play until late. It was a good distraction, and I’d always try to improve. In the end, I wasn’t just playing for fun—I wanted to get better."
After making significant improvements on the virtual pitch, Emil introduced his friend to the world of competitive FIFA tournaments. At first, Provstgaard was getting knocked out in the early stages, but things took a turn when he decided to knuckle down.
Soon, he would reach the Elite 1 rank in FUT Champions, meaning he was eligible to play in official tournaments against some of the more well-known professional FIFA players like Tekkz and Anders Vejrgang, his fellow Dane.
"It all started with small private tournaments during lockdown but then I realised I could beat some of the top players," Provstgaard tells us. "Eventually my ranking allowed me to try and make it to the eChampions League.
"I made it through some of the qualifying rounds and kept moving forward. Eventually, I was in the top 32, which was crazy. I didn’t expect to make it that far, but when I did, I just kept pushing. The adrenaline was unreal."
Against all odds, Provstgaard made it to the latter stages of one of the most prestigious eSports competitions in the calendar. Nobody, including the man himself, could quite believe what was happening.
"Outside of Denmark, no one knew who I was," he says. "I was a complete unknown. I remember playing one random Sunday and my best friend said, 'How are you winning this? You should go live on Twitch.' So I did. Then all these players started watching.
"There was a moment when I actually thought I was out of the tournament after one loss. I was so angry but I didn’t understand how the qualification worked, My friend knew the system and told me I was in. I had no idea what to expect after that."
Barely any of his opponents knew what to expect either, which played to his advantage. In fact, after five consecutive victories, he would end his unprecedented journey with a victory over AC Monza Caccia in the grand final.
"I remember my parents were next door at the neighbours' house during the final," Provstgaard says, reminiscing about his post-game celebrations. "It is a feeling I’ll never get again. I was so used to playing football and getting that adrenaline from the fans. This was so different."
He goes on to describe the $75,000 prize money as life-changing. "I was still a student at the time. Not everyone knew that. I didn’t get the money right away, though—it took maybe six months because of EA's verification process. They were doing extra background checks!"
Did he buy anything special with the prize money? "Not really. I did send some money to Emil, the friend who introduced me to the tournament. He’s done a lot for me over the years, and I wouldn’t have been part of it without him."
Provstgaard had earned his place in the play-offs. The pathway to becoming a serious contender in the FIFA community was clear. Realistically, the only person that could stop him from achieving that was himself.
So, instead of taking up eSports on a full-time basis, the man from Vejle retired his PlayStation controller for good to focus on the recovery process.
Was he ever tempted to make the permanent leap to competitive gaming? "Not even for a second," he says without hesitation. "After winning, I got invited to another tournament, and if I placed in the top 10, I'd have qualified for the World Cup. But I turned it down.
"I even tweeted that I wouldn’t participate and let someone else take my spot—he was super happy. People thought I was crazy to step away but football was my priority."
Provstgaard made a full recovery and re-joined his VB teammates for the 2021/22 season. In fact, he would soon break into the first-team, becoming a key part of their defence.
"I thought the injury would delay things by a couple of years, but the club believed in me," he says. "I worked hard and got promoted to the first team after around three months."
Even before he'd played a single minute for the senior squad, Steen Thychosen, the talent manager at Vejle Boldklub, was absolutely convinced by Provstgaard's talent.
"We have never had a greater defensive talent than Provstgaard," he said in April 2022. "We have to go all the way back to players like Alexander Scholz and Benjamin Hansen, and it has been about a decade since they played youth football with us."
More than 80 first-team appearances later and with hindsight, Thychosen's scout report was looking rather good. The defender was being tracked by a number of clubs in Europe, including Lazio, who came to watch one of his games in August last year.
Clearly convinced, the Italian side would eventually make their move in February. "It’s surreal," says Provstgaard, three months on. "I’m just enjoying the moment and trying to learn as much as I can."
Marco Baroni would soon hand a debut to the young centre-back in their 1-0 away win over Atalanta. Rather than trying to defend against Juan Cuadrado and Charles De Ketelaere on FIFA, he was now playing against them in real life.
And on the subject of real life, Provstgaard is starting to get recognised on the streets of Rome; something that'll take some time to get used to.
"It’s not just kids asking for photos," he smiles. "It’s the guy behind the counter in the supermarket, too. It’s nice though, because they treat you like a person, not just a player. It feels like I'm starting to build a real connection with the fans."
As well as going from an eChampions League final to playing against a team of Champions League finalists, Provstgaard will captain his country at the U21 Euros as Denmark come up against the Netherlands, Ukraine, and Finland in the group stages.
He is a natural leader and will be crucial at the U21 Euros, according to Kristian Juelsgård, who runs the Danish Scout account on X.
"It has been such a crazy journey," says Provstgaard, nodding at the sheer magnitude of it all. "My mum sent me a picture recently from when I made my debut for the Danish youth team. It was three years ago, but it feels more recent.
"Football moves fast, and a lot can change in a short time, but I’m living my dream. I’m just enjoying every minute of it."
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images - EA Sports
Jack Kenmare