Bayern Munich and Colombia midfielder James Rodriguez has joined esports organisation Ares Esport in an ambassadorial role.
Rodriguez joins an impressive, if somewhat odd, host of names at the team which includes Riyad Mahrez of Leicester City, Yannick Carrasco of Atletico Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur’s Moussa Sissoko amongst others.
The involvement of these players is, unsurprisingly, FIFA esports focused and is intended to give players from all backgrounds an opportunity to showcase their skills on ‘a global stage’. The ambassadors will lend their support via ‘coaching, social networks and physical presence at Ares events’.
There are set to be plenty of tournaments to get involved in, and with the pro players will using their own profiles to give these a boost, they should see a lot of sign ups. The goal of Ares, as per its homepage mission statement, is ‘to develop and democratize the practice of esports by enabling new talent to shine internationally’.
There’s reportedly a number of contracts waiting for those who prove themselves worthy too. On the site it notes that ‘At the beginning of November, we will set up a worldwide device for the detection of the best talents through open tournaments on a selection of video games.’ It also states that these will be given a contract with Ares.
The current James Rodriguez Welcome Tournament opened qualifiers on October 14th, though there’s still a chance to get involved as qualifiers continue until the 23rd. There’s €2,500 (£2,200) up for grabs.
Very excited to join an esport team ! https://t.co/faLd1JCCn4 ?
@TeamAresEsport #GAMEISALL #AresEsport #Esport pic.twitter.com/8jQOOANgak— James Rodríguez (@jamesdrodriguez) October 14, 2017
Ares, or Alpha Republic of Esports, is a Paris based company, and there’ll be an offline finale in the French capital for the James Rodriguez tournament on November 2nd. Ares also involves itself in hosting tournaments for other games including Dota, CS:GO, Hearthstone and more.
Esports Insider says: With a diverse range of ambassadors on board from across the world of football, and elsewhere Ares has the potential to reach a considerable number of esports outsiders. The FIFA 18 tournament in particular should garner considerable attention, and we’re keen to know more about which games Ares will be dishing out contracts for and their plans in detail in this regard.