Wednesday 22 May 2019, 08:39

'Nicolas99fc': I'm more Argentinian than anyone

  • 'Nicolas99fc' is the world’s leading FIFA player on PlayStation

  • Helped Argentina to FIFA eNations Cup final

  • The 'Iceman' looking to improve further ahead of eWorld Cup

Argentina’s 'Nicolas99fc' takes to the controller with signature calmness. Even when the stakes are high, the 2019 FIFA eClub World Cup winner remains unfazed by the occasion. Just cool, composed and ready to take on any opponent.

It’s why the PlayStation No1 is often referred to as the 'Iceman'.

"The nickname 'Iceman' comes from Brandon Smith and Richard Buckley, the well-known FIFA commentators, if I’m not wrong," 'Nicolas99fc' told FIFA.com. "They gave me that nickname at the Amsterdam event of FIFA '18.

"It stems from me being a very calm person when playing and also because I practically do not have emotions," he laughed.

Although boasting a relaxed demeanour when competing, 'Nicolas99fc' nonetheless savours the occasion.

The Argentinian, who represents Swiss side FC Basel at club level, helped his country to the final of the FIFA eNations Cup – where he remained undefeated in his 1v1 encounters – and felt enormous pride in representing La Albiceleste on the global stage.

"I always take my country wherever I am. Everyone who knows me knows that I am more Argentinian than anyone," he said.

Nicolas Villalba of Argentina poses

Journey to the top

'Nicolas99fc's rise to Argentina international on EA SPORTS FIFA began back in 2006 when the two-time Grand Finalist first started playing the game.

"The first edition of FIFA I played was FIFA '06. I had Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) too and played that more than FIFA until 2010. Everyone was talking about FIFA '11 being a very good game and that it had surpassed PES in terms of gameplay, so I decided to try it."

Now the No1 PlayStation player in the world, 'Nicolas99fc' remains modest despite consistently remaining top of his console leaderboard throughout the season.

"I do not feel like the No1 of my console, I feel there are better players than me such as 'StefanoPinna' or 'Joksan'," he said of the Belgian and American, who currently occupy third and fifth spots in the FIFA 19 Global Series Rankings. "I also have errors that I need to amend so that kind of thing doesn’t allow me to believe I’m the best of my console."

As with any model professional at the top, 'Nicolas99fc' is constantly striving to further develop his game. And what better time to do so with the FIFA eWorld Cup™ on the horizon?

"I think I need to improve in every way, but if we talked about something in particular, I would say the offensive part," he said. "I have moments where I am very creative and others where I am not."

As we approach the business end of the season, will 2019 be the year the Iceman gets his hands on the eWorld Cup?