The announcement of new signings is one of the few things that football fans can look forward to during the seasonal break. With younger generations strapping on their boots, a number of clubs have taken to announcing these signings via some sort of video game reference. Spanish club Real Betis has done something similar for their newly signed Argentinian defender, Germán Pezzella.
The video, titled GTA IV: Real Betis Edition, features a number of Real Betis players aping the movement and animations of GTA characters and NPCs. It starts off with striker Aitor Rubial opening a door in the same exaggerated manner that GTA characters do, and walking out into the street. He then makes a reference to CJ’s iconic dialogue from San Andreas, but alters it to “Oh boy, here we go again.” The recognizable minimap and UI shows up, and Rubial even performs the jump animation for us.
RELATED: Create A Club Makes FIFA 22 The Most Important FIFA In Years
The striker then gets onto a scooter and meets some people to make a “deal” of some kind. In another GTA reference, Rubial simply tosses his helmet aside once he gets off the scooter. With the deal complete, he rolls down to Real Betis’ Benito Villamarín stadium, where he grabs a club jersey and heads pitch-side. He meets up with teammate Guido Rodriguez, and then hands the club jersey to Germán Pezzella. Pezzella unfurls the jersey and the recognizable ‘Mission Passed’ font shows up across the screen.
Football players and video games have been coming together in the last few years like never before. While of course, FIFA and the recently rebranded eFootball have always been the major link, the crossovers have been increasing everyday. From football players like, Neymar, Harry Kane, and Marco Reus appearing in Fortnite, to club promotional videos of players battling each other in-game, the younger players’ love for video games is quite apparent.
While the new season has already kicked off in many leagues around the world, FIFA 22’s Ultimate Team ratings for a number of players has leaked. Unsurprisingly, the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Robert Lewandowski have taken the top spots, the same leak also revealed the ratings of Manchester United’s first team lineup.
NEXT: Report: Why So Many Sports Titles Are Embracing The Women's Game
