Shellzz came out on top as eight leading players took their place in the final stages of the competition last Friday night, beating Leeds United’s Olle ‘Ollelito’ Arbin in a dramatic penalty shootout in the cross-console final.
After a 4-2 victory on his less-favoured Xbox in the first leg, he was on the reverse of the same scoreline in the second leg before keeping his nerve to settle the tie on spot-kicks.
“Words can’t describe it,” he said after clinching the title. “It has been a long ride to get here and to be able to call myself ePremier League champion, I’m so, so happy.
“Ollelito is No5 in the world on Xbox for a reason and I knew it would be tough against him, but I played really well. I have done a lot of work on the mental side of my game and it’s paid off.”
The drama wasn’t reserved for the grand final for Shellzz, who beat Leicester City’s Cosmin ‘NFG Cosmin’ Petrescu on penalties in the quarter-finals before beating last season’s runner-up Marc ‘MarcMarleyyy’ Marley (Brighton & Hove Albion) 4-2 at the semi-final stage.
He then won 4-3 in the PlayStation4 Final against Sheffield United’s Mitchell ‘RISE MHaywxrd’ Hayward.
As well as winning the coveted ePL trophy, Shellzz also picked up the £20,000 first prize and a Hublot watch. Runner-up Ollelito collected £10,000, with the runners-up of the two console finals MHaywxrd (Sheffield United) and Diogo ‘FalconsDiogo’ Mendes (Chelsea) each winning £5,000.
They also won all-important seats in the EA SPORTS FIFA 21 Global Series European Playoffs this summer.
Premier League Commercial Director Will Brass said: “Congratulations to Shellzz and Manchester City on winning the 2020/21 ePremier League. The standard of play in this year’s Finals was incredibly high and it was great to see such exciting competition across all stages of the tournament.
“Over three seasons, the ePremier League has proved popular with FIFA players of all abilities, and consistently brought together established pros and new faces. It has also attracted a growing audience worldwide and provided clubs with a new way of engaging with their supporters.
“Many thanks to EA SPORTS and our broadcast partners for their support, ensuring we have been able to bring another enjoyable and high-quality tournament to fans globally. We look forward to continuing to develop the ePremier League over coming seasons.”
After more than 22 million fans tuned in to the first two ePL Finals, the climax to this year’s tournament was televised in the UK by Sky Sports, BT Sport and BBC Sport, as well as being shown around the world by the Premier League’s international licensees.
All players competed remotely in this season’s Finals as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the event hosted live from the Gfinity Arena in London.
ePremier League is operated by esports tournament organisers Gfinity. For more information visit e.premierleague.com.
