Zelli0n
Award Standings
As can be seen in the tweet above, Luke Bartolo took a dominant first in the Pepsi People’s Choice Award. He achieved the most votes, with 25% going his way. The back-to-back champion was also a favourite for many, as he achieved 15% of the votes. A surprising figure emerged in third as Ryan “Klawka” Cauchi had 13% despite his early elimination from the event. After getting beaten by Luke 3-1 in the Quarterfinals, he concluded his journey, resulting in a 5th-8th placement for him.
We asked Luke a couple of questions to get more insight on how it feels to be the Pepsi People’s Choice Award.
How does it feel to be the player with the most votes for this award?
It feels awesome; the public voted for me in numbers! I really, really appreciate all the support I received. Big thanks to everyone who voted, messaged me or even watched.
You pulled off some insane performances against Malta’s best players; what was your mentality heading into it?
My mentality was to stay calm and focused from start to finish regardless of what is happening in the game. I kept my emotions in check and tried to play as fundamentally solid as possible. Just doing the simple things correctly and making as few mistakes as possible.
You were inches away from being considered champion, could you describe how the final minutes felt?
The final minutes were the most nervous I have ever felt in a FIFA match. Especially that big chance I had in the 120 min with Cr7.
Any final thoughts?
I’m happy with how I played in the tournament, especially defensively, which is usually my weakness. It is something to build upon, and I plan to continue getting better and better every day. The tournament was very well run behind the scenes this year. The stage, production and build-up were a big step in the right direction, hopefully even better next year. In general, I hope FIFA Esports and Esports, in general, continues to grow further in Malta, and I am very excited about what the future holds.
Luke Bartolo, FIFA player for Sliema Wanderers FC
Looking back at this year’s edition of the MEPL
It’s evident that the competition has increased significantly when compared with last year’s MEPL. We’ve had multiple upsets and a myriad of surprising results. An example of such is when Turbuleense topped Group C and was immediately eliminated in the playoffs stage. Turbuleense was one of the favourites to win it all, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out for him as Luke Bartolo’s performance was extraordinary.
We look forward to next year’s edition, especially with so many talented players emerging in recent months. Be sure to keep yourself updated with all the latest local esports news on Esports Malta!
Beano99
