Dani Hagebeuk joined Ajax's esports team in 2017. Since then he's gone on to win two eDivisie titles, signed a new three-year contract and represented them at the eWorld Cup Finals. With a third eDivisie title on the horizon, Hagebeuk took some time out to talk to Goal about his FIFA 20 Ultimate Team and what it's like to represent Ajax at FIFA.
Goal: Who is your most expensive player and was he worth it?
Hagebeuk: My most expensive player is Eusebio and he is definitely worth it. He can turn so fast and he is so deadly in the box.
G: Are there any players you've used but been surprised by?
H: Yeah, I think that R9 Ronaldo is not as good this FIFA as he was in the previous games.
G: You're using a rare gold card in goal. Is Alisson that good?
H: In my opinion, Alisson is the best goalie in the game. The Team of the Year (TOTY) is definitely the best, but my team rating will get too high for qualification tournaments if I buy his TOTY [some tournaments having team rating conditions].
G: Are there any Squad Building Challenges (SBCs) or players no longer available you wish you'd gone for?
H: Yep, Renato Sanches’ FUTMAS. I hear from a lot of pro players that he is a great card. I have Sissoko FUTMAS right now on that position, but I don’t like to play with him.
G: Are there any Ajax players you think should have a special card that haven't yet?
H: Sergino Dest. He is playing some really good games and growing really fast as a player. He deserves an in-form card.
G: Are there any Ajax icons that need adding and what would their card look like? :
H: Danny Blind and Rafael van der Vaart. Danny would be 90-rated with overall decent stats, an all-rounder. Rafael van der Vaart would be also around 90 rating, with very high dribbling and long-distance shots.
G: Have you used Cruyff this year and what did you think of his card?
H: I definitely used Cruyff. I think there are better Icons in this game to use, but he is definitely very useful. His 5-star skills, fast dribbling and great finesse shots make him deadly around and in the box.
G: Ajax are one of the few clubs to give pros long contracts, how has that helped you as a pro?
H: It helped me a lot. Playing FIFA is not just playing a videogame, it’s much more than that. Ajax are giving me a lot of help with our fitness coach Mahdi and FIFA coach Bas, for example.
The fitness coach is really important to stay healthy and to focus on the moments I need to. Concentration is one of the most important aspects to get the best Dani out of myself, and fitness helps a lot to clear my mind and get a good focus. Besides that, it’s just so great that I can play on a professional level for Ajax. It gave me so much motivation to do better and better. So many fans cheering for me also helps me a lot.
G: You're into the quarter-finals of the eDivisie, would you consider yourself favourites and who would you like to meet in the final?
H: Yes, we are the favourites to win it. Matching Heracles, in my opinion, our biggest rival, in the final would be nice, but to be honest we don’t really care who we play. We gotta beat them all to win the title.
G: Do you have one tip for players who want to become pros?
H: For me, I think one of the best tips is to try to learn from professional YouTubers. Search for skill moves, ways of dribbling, ways of finishing which works very well. Learn it one by one. The more you know about what’s important and useful in the game, the more variation you can have in your gameplay, and the more self-esteem you will get.
