Alter­na­tive route to the pro game

The controllers have been glowing again in the Virtual Bundesliga Club Championship (VBL CC) since November – and the Bayer 04 eSports team is obviously involved. Their ranks include a notable new signing this season: Furkan ‘FURKY’ Kayacik is representing the club on the console and he is also extending the reach of the Bayer 04 eSports team. When the 22-year-old is away from the virtual Bundesliga at home in his gaming room in pursuit of virtual goals, he is watched by thousands of people.

The first contact with Bayer 04 made a deep impression. Furkan Kayacik saw his first Bundesliga fixture at the age of eight – the venue for his first match was the BayArena in Leverkusen. The Werkself played Borussia Dortmund – and the talented youth player dreamed of one day being in the hunt for goals at Bundesliga stadiums as a professional player. However, it was a long time before the Kassel-born Kayacik again watched a match live in Germany's top flight. The next time was not until 11 September 2021, 14 years after his first visit to Bismarckstraße – and history repeated itself: His second visit to the BayArena saw Leverkusen again play Dortmund. He was still unable to fulfil his dream of playing on the pitch but after the match he chatted with players like Florian Wirtz and Moussa Diaby about tricks and goals – on the real and the virtual pitch. What Kayacik was unable to achieve in club football, he was able to in the digital game: He became a professional under the name 'FURKY' and he is famous in the world of FIFA and has thousand fans and not just in the Rhineland. Since this season, the 22-year-old is a new eSports player and Content Creator at Bayer 04. The popular YouTube streamer has been signed in a double role: On the one hand, he represents the eSports section at Leverkusen in the Virtual Bundesliga and, on the other hand, he is tasked with further raising the profile of the Bayer 04 brand in the eSports world with the help of his great popularity.

Since the summer, Bayer 04 have a greater presence thanks to his live streams on YouTube and Twitch. His viewers can see the badge and the sponsors of the club on their screens and Furky also wears the current shirt of the Bundesliga club. In addition, there are duties at official events in the eSports world. "It's enormously important to me that the Bayer 04 Twitch channel gains in its coverage through me. I again and again tried to get the people from my channel onto the Bayer 04 channels. I do my best every day," said Kayacik.

The son of Turkish parents is part of a phenomenon of recent years: When he plays FIFA on his console, he is watched by hundreds to thousands of people. The Bayer 04 new signing broadcasts his matches on the YouTube and Twitch platforms several times a week, providing entertainment for his community. Up to 3,500 gamers regularly put down their controllers to watch the Bayer 04 eSports player. Some 80,000 fans subscribe to his YouTube channel. Kayacik understands all too well what makes the FIFA stream so fascinating – although he still prefers "to play football outdoors": "I think a lot of people can learn something from professional eSports players – just like young football players can learn from the pros when they watch tricks and tactics. In addition, there’s a certain tension when I'm playing in the tournament, for example when my viewers follow me for the whole of the competition," said Furky.

In Germany and Europe there are already a lot of talented gamers playing at the highest level. So it's not easy to make a name for yourself. "I'm not just a professional player on the console but I also entertain people really well. Only a handful of people in Germany can do that," said Kayacik before adding: "In addition, I have a very personal manner that people value in me. If somebody writes on my chat than I almost always answer. The interaction between viewers and streamers is very important to me."

The fact the 22-year-old is not only a good entertainer but can also compete with the best in the game was shown on his VBL debut for Bayer 04. Furky represented his new club on the console for the first time against Wolfsburg on matchday five – at an unexpectedly early point as he reveals: "I was actually planning to be the commentator. But the others were ill and I was quickly called up." His first outing in a Black and Red shirt was equally unusual as his warm-up. Furky took the lead after four minutes before – a rare mishap – the Internet connection was lost: "It was okay that we repeated the whole game. My opponent didn't even see how the goal came about," he added with a smile. The connection was maintained for the rearranged match but there were no goals at the second attempt. But the Leverkusen new signing was not put off by his unusual debut and he held his nerve at the rerun. On the same evening, he won the 1v1 2-1 on PlayStation against FC St Pauli to help Bayer 04 gain three important points in the Virtual Bundesliga.

Furky is an experienced gamer in spite of his young age. He began his career in the digital world as a YouTube and FIFA streamer and he made his name through countless hours in front of the camera. "It's an extremely long-winded process. You have to work hard to be successful because you might start the stream with just five people and you have to hold on to them first. Then it might grow to ten. Suddenly it all gets going and you get into the hundreds. But that takes a few years," said Kayacik. His presence on social media paved the way for his first jobs in professional eSports. He attracted great attention when he signed for the JBG Gaming team – standing for "young, brutal, good-looking. The eSports team belonging to the rappers Farid Bang and Kollegah brought him great popularity – not just on the Internet: "It often happens that I was recognised in big cities like Frankfurt or Munich. It was very often the case in Kassel because the city I come from isn't that big. I'm often recognised on matchdays at Leverkusen too. I need 20 minutes to get from the car park to the stadium entrance."

The job of the 22-year-old has taken up more and more time in recent years and it doesn't just involved computer games. Kayacik plans his video content weeks in advance and has numerous sponsorship dates and also represents Bayer 04 at events. He spends a lot of time in his car and there are also streams of up to ten hours: "But then I have headaches after that and I have to get to sleep quickly," added Furky with a smile. His busy day-to-day life is supported by his big family – his parents, siblings and numerous cousins regularly watch him working via live stream. The family keep on reminding Furkan how far he has already come: To be honest, it feels a bit funny – even now. When I was in the Mixed Zone at the stadium once it all felt a bit surreal. Earlier on I always wanted to be a professional footballer and now I'm playing in the Bundesliga as an eSports player."

This profile is taken from edition 34 of the Werkself magazine that appeared in January 2022. Click HERE for the free online copy.