VBL Grand Final by bevestor: Players to Watch on Xbox

Divided between the two consoles, we take a close look at five players who have the potential to become German champions in eFootball. Today's turn: The FIFA elite on Xbox.

Mustafa Cankal

Gamertag: fcsp_musti

Club: St. Pauli

Qualification: VBL Club Championship - 4th place Division North-West

VBL Grand Final 2021: Swiss Round

It says a lot about the community that they chose a player from the losing finalist as its top performer, and they did just that when adorning Mustafa "fcsp_musti" Cankal with the honour after the final event of the VBL Club Championship by bevestor. Despite losing out on the team tittle, the Hamburg native was praised for his playing style, which almost perfectly balances after offence with defence. In April he went on to lift the DFB EPokal with his team and will certainly be one to keep your eyes on at the Grand Final.

Dylan Neuhausen

Gamertag: DullenMike

Club: Freiburg

Qualification: VBL Open - Playoffs

VBL Grand Final 2021: Vice champion

A semi-finalist in 2020, the runner-up in 2021 - the individual championship would be the logical next step for Dylan "DullenMike" in his third VBL Grand Final. "The fact that the title will be awarded this year at an offline event in Cologne is a further boost in motivation," said the 19-year-old, who previously played for Cologne and Wolfsburg, but now represents his favourite team, Freiburg.

Tim Katnawatos

Gamertag: TheStrxnger

Club: Cologne

Qualification: VBL Open - Playoffs

VBL Grand Final 2021: Swiss Round

Alongside Umut "RBLZ_umut" Gültekin and Michael "MegaBit98" Bittner, Tim "TheStrxnger" Katnawatos is one of three former champions competing in the Grand Final having won the 2017/18 tournament. In the following three seasons, he either did not qualify or was already eliminated from the Swiss Round. "On the way to the goal, 'TheStrxnger' mostly uses the simple tools, but uses them so precisely that it's hard to defend," says VBL caster Moritz Ladwig, describing the Cologne man's playing style.

Matthias Hietsch

Gamertag: FOCUS STYLO

Club: Bayern Munich

Qualification: VBL Open - Playoffs

VBL Grand Final 2021: Did not qualify

He has coached Mohammed "MoAuba" Harkous to the world champion title and has also been mentoring the players of the German eNational team for some time. But, at the Grand Final, we will see whether 30-year-old Matthias "FOKUS STYLO" Hietsch can add the big title to his esteemed FIFA career. His victory in the playoffs of the VBL Open, where he set the best score among Xbox players with 47 goals and was only defeated on penalties, made people sit up and take notice. The trophy remains high on his wish list and "FOKUS_STYLO" expects serious competition, saying ahead of the tournament: "The level has risen dramatically since my last participation in the 2019 Grand Final."

Philip Schermer

Gamertag: Eisvogel

Club: Ingolstadt

Qualification: VBL Club Championship - 2nd place Division South-East

VBL Grand Final 2021: Did not qualify

From the Ingolstadt squad, there is a trio of contenders. The man with perhaps the biggest chances of making it to the cross-console final, however, is Philipp "Eisvogel" Schermer. That's largely due to the fact that he's a player who combines experience and titles in major tournaments (DFB Epokalsieger 2021) with a big game mentality. A case in point was his remarkable equaliser in the second semi-final match against St. Pauli that hauled his side back into the third game. Expect more dramatics when Schermer gets the controller in his hands in June.

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