Can 'Rafsou' take it to the next level?
Frenchman en route to his third eFootball World Cup
Strong regular season performances – is a breakthrough finally on the cards?
Profile of 'Rafsou' ahead of the play-offs
Frenchman 'Rafsou' is one of the top players in France, and indeed beyond its shores. He established himself on the scene in 2017, finishing second at the inaugural FIFA Interactive Club World Cup amongst other good performances, and since then has been among the the world's finest.
That said, he has yet to scoop up any serious silverware, other than in the French League, often missing out by narrow margins at the major tournaments and not getting the rub of the green at the FIFA eWorld Cup. Will the Frenchman be able to step it up another gear this year and get the title he deserves?
Unlucky in previous Grand Final appearances
Despite impressive displays throughout past seasons, 'Rafsou' has never been able to peak at the Grand Final. In his first appearance in 2017 he just failed to make it beyond the group phase and thus missed out on the knock-out stages. Last year he once again had a good regular season and easily went through the play-offs to qualify for his second Grand Final in a row, where he was seeded No.2. Despite going into the tournament as one of the favourites for the title, he again did not have luck on his side in the group stage, this time finishing bottom of the pile and crashing out of the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018.
Will 2019 finally see him lift a trophy?
This season, the Frenchman has yet again been one of the most consistent players around. He has taken part in three FUT Champions Cups, the PGL FIFA Cup and the PGL FIFA 19 Masters, as well as qualifying for the final of the eChampions League, where he and his Team Vitality 'Maestro' colleagues made it through to the FIFA eClub World Cup 2019.
Performances like those have seen him up to No.15 in the FIFA 19 Global Series rankings. Now with 1,698 points to his name, he looks set to make it three Grand Final appearances in a row, provided he can get through the play-offs, after which his goal will again be to reach the knock-out stage and maybe even have a tilt at the title.
He is currently the third best Frenchman in the rankings across all consoles, with the country waiting for a successor to Bruce Grannec, the only Frenchman to be eFootball World Champion and who won the second of his titles back in 2013. 'Rafsou' will be looking to make it three stars for France at the FIFA eWorld Cup this year, but before thinking about the title, his first priority must be to repeat his play-off performances of recent years.