Spencer ‘Gorilla’ Ealing is one of the best FIFA players of the world. Take a look to his interview now that eSports and FIFA 17 Champions Series are becoming more and more popular.
Spencer ‘Gorilla’ Ealing Interview
In conversations debating who is the best FIFA player in the world, the name “Gorilla” almost always comes up. Spencer “Gorilla” Ealing swung onto the FIFA competitive scene during FIFA 15. Since then, the Birmingham native has quickly established himself as a household name in professional FIFA circles.
Over the last two years, Ealing has dominated the competitive gaming scene both online and in live events. By amassing six Gfinity events wins, in addition to being the Esports World Convention 2016 runner-up, 2016 was a year that cemented Gorilla’s position as one of the best FIFA players in the world. He has ranked at least top four in every event he has entered.
In an interview Ealing takes a humble approach to people’s perceptions. “It is obviously a privilege to be recognized as maybe one of the best. Personally, I don’t think I am the best or near the top because I have not won a world title yet.” But even when that major title finally comes, Ealing will keep a low-key image of himself. “I don’t think I will ever say I am the best, that is just not the way I am.”
Going into the Season 1 Regional Final of the FIFA Ultimate Team Championship Series in Paris on February 4th, a lot of people expect Spencer to walk away with the title. High expectations come with the territory of success and an added degree of pressure that Ealing knows all too well. “I don’t like to pressure myself, but I know there is a lot of pressure on me. I understand where everyone is coming from because of [my] past performances, but I just take it one tournament at a time. I like going to events, the atmosphere and the challenge, but obviously, there is always pressure about winning when you get the trophies.”
From the outside, it may seem that winning the Paris Regional Final will be an easy task for Ealing, yet he is aware of the big challenge ahead. “People need to remember, everyone going to this event, apart from maybe a handful that I don’t personally know, are top quality pro players so it is not going to be easy. There is a lot of added pressure but I can’t do anything about it, it is out of my control what people expect of me.” Scrutiny and doubts about his ability to remain at the top level after each iteration of the game is now a constant for Ealing. However, he has responded to doubters by returning to exert dominance for the third year in a row. Gorilla qualified to Paris with a record of 158 wins and 2 losses in the Weekend League qualifying month of November.
The introduction of the FIFA Ultimate Team Championship Series will make 2017 an important year in Gorilla’s career. “I do think this is the year that makes or breaks my career. If I don’t win a tournament this year, there will be a lot of question marks about me.” Therein lies the importance of lifting a major trophy this year. “I want to win [a major tournament]. Preferably the Ultimate Team Championship or the FIFA Interactive World Cup, I would take a Regional Final, obviously. However, the aim has to be to qualify, you can’t look past that. I have done that, February 4th, Paris.”
Ealing’s mental approach to events is perhaps unorthodox but it is rooted in unwavering confidence in his own abilities and, more importantly, it has been proven to be effective. “My mentality when I am at these events is that I think I will lose every single game because if I think that, I am never disappointed. So, when I go to an event I think I am not going to win anything. But at the bottom, I know that if I play my A game, I cannot lose.”
Continuing his competitive career with Epsilon eSports and adding accolades to his competitive gaming career are Spencer’s immediate concern. However, the soft-spoken rising star does not think about the future too often. “I can’t look into the future too much. I know a lot of football clubs are getting involved (in competitive gaming) so if the right opportunity comes along, you just never know what happens. It is more dependent on how I do. This is why it is so important to keep my consistency. If I am always at the top of my game within the competitive scene, it will open more opportunities. That is also part of my motivation to keep doing well.”
At the end of the day, the best tip he can share with other FIFA players is to always play against players better than you. “It really is the best way to improve. Playing Divisions, trying new skill moves that you don’t usually do, trying new players, different formations, custom tactics and instructions. If you never leave your comfort zone, you will never be able to step up to the next level.”