2022/23 eChampions League Finals: Emre Yilmaz on his triumph

Emre Yilmaz can now call himself a European champion. The Dutch youngster overcame seven other elite FIFA 23 players to win the 2023 eChampions League, establish himself as one of the world's best and earn a tidy bonus of $75,000 in prize money in the process.

We spoke to Yilmaz at the UEFA Champions Festival in Istanbul the day after his career-defining triumph.

Congratulations on winning the eChampions League. How does it feel and what was going through your mind as you lifted the trophy?

Thank you, it was a very nice moment for me. It was the first trophy of my career, and I think it's one of the most beautiful ones to win. It doesn't feel real right now, my head has been crazy all today and yesterday. It's a good feeling though. I was exhausted after playing – my head was burning so I went to bed early.

You came into the tournament undefeated, which obviously put a target on your back. Did you feel extra pressure because of that and were you then worried after you lost your opening game?

Of course I felt pressure, mostly from myself. After the first loss it was really tough because I felt like I didn't have enough to win it all. Then against Neat it was a really tough game and I played badly but after that things just went better and better until I eventually won it all.

Talk us through that final. You had to defeat Hezers twice and the first game was especially close.

I know Hezers really well – against him you will always concede because he's so good at attacking. I let in six goals but it didn't matter because I expected that to happen and was prepared for it. In the second game I was more confident and, in my head, I was 30 minutes away from the trophy. My head was really buzzing but I still managed to focus.

Emre Yilmaz with Ruud Gullit and his coach

How would you describe your style? How do you like to play the game?

I'm very attacking. I think at an offline event it's better to attack because you make the opponent nervous, then they make mistakes. It works for me. I played 4-3-2-1 with balanced defensive tactics so I could be more offensive. My main players were R9 [Brazilian Ronaldo], Ronaldinho and, of course, Ruud Gullit. Gullit has been amazing for me – his headers were great; he's strong, quick and just owns the midfield.

Team Gullit is an academy that focuses on developing players. How has the organisation helped you?

Every week we have many sessions together with the team. All the players are growing and then you learn from each other. We are always developing both mentally and mechanically. It's a really nice team to be in.

How was it having Ruud Gullit there to witness your victory in person?

It was really nice that he came to Istanbul. It didn't make me nervous having him there; it was just an amazing feeling. I had to enjoy it because it could be a once-in-a-lifetime moment.