Saturday 24 August 2019, 08:44

A season to remember for teenage 'DullenMike'

  • 'DullenMike' enjoyed memorable debut campaign

  • Youngest-ever FUT Champions Cup winner, global finals appearance

  • The German teenager tells his story

Dylan 'DullenMike' Neuhausen made history this FIFA 19 season by becoming the youngest winner of a FUT Champions Cup at just 16 years of age.

The German replaced Xbox titan 'Tekkz' as the youngest winner with his victory in Bucharest and was the only player to interrupt the dominance of ‘Tekkz’ and ‘MsDossary’ at the six editions of the tournament this campaign.

What made that triumph back in January all the sweeter for the Wolfsburg player was that he was able to share the moment with his parents.

“Most people don’t know that my parents are deaf, so I’m able to speak sign language,” he said. “My mum has been to every event so far. When I won in Bucharest at the FUT Champions Cup, she was insanely proud.”

Now 17, ‘DullenMike’ was the youngest player to reach the FIFA eWorld Cup™ 2019 at The O2 in London in what was a very impressive first year in competitive FIFA for the German.

It is a journey that has its beginnings in the picturesque countryside of Bavaria.

“I’m from Turkheim in Germany. Almost everyone knows everyone,” he said. “Growing up, I played football almost every day. In my spare time between school and eSports, I still play with my mates at a team. Football plays a big role in my life.”

Neuhausen first started playing EA SPORTS FIFA at home with his father at just eight-years-old when not playing junior football.

“I remember playing FIFA against my Dad at the time and beating him. Compared to now there would be much more of a difference, but back then they were close games,” he said.

“I started playing FIFA regularly by FIFA 13. To think what FIFA eSports or competitive gaming now is now, it’s way too far from what I could have imagined back then.”

Growth of the game

Renowned football clubs signing eSports players, national teams having the official backing of Member Associations and a prize pool of USD 500,000 at the most recent eWorld Cup – the scene has changed dramatically since FIFA 13. Indeed, when just 16, ‘DullenMike’ bagged USD 50,000 for his FUT Champions Cup victory alone.

It was not long ago that ‘DullenMike’, who cites Andrey Arshavin as his on-field football inspiration, was watching the likes of 2017 EA SPORTS World Champion ‘Gorilla’ on social networking sites, dreaming of one day playing competitive FIFA himself.

“From eSports, [my inspirations] are either 'Gorilla' or 'Kurt',” said Neuhausen. “I saw Gorilla’s YouTube videos and he was winning events against everybody and that’s what first made me think that eSports was a thing.”

Having been inspired by a former world champion, will young ‘DullenMike’ himself get his hands on the eWorld Cup title in the future?