Former Manchester United player David de Gea trolled his good buddy Daniil Medvedev after the latter’s team, M80, fell against the Spaniard’s Rebels Gaming in Counter-Strike 2 at the 2024 IEM Katowice.
The IEM Katowice 2024 is the year’s first major esports event for Counter-Strike teams.
While eight of the best teams advance directly to the group stage, the remaining eight teams participate in a knockout tournament.
Interestingly, M80 and Rebels Gaming were among the 16 teams competing for a spot in the group stage of IEM Katowice 2024 on Saturday.
Both clubs have stars in their leadership; former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev invested in M80 in November, while world-class goalkeeper David de Gea founded Rebels Gaming in 2021.
Rebels advanced through the group stage, defeating M80 13-9 in Counter-Strike 2.
De Gea then turned to X (previously Twitter) to mock Medvedev while expressing joy that his side had qualified for the group stage matches at IEM Katowice 2024.
“Hope we are still friends bro @DaniilMedwed, SO SO PROUD of the team!! Main event @RebelsGaming, WP @M80gg,” David de Gea wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) handle.
M80 took the loss on the chin and hjave vowed to come back stronger.
“Thank you to the fans for all the support throughout Katowice, it means the world to us,” M80 wrote.
“We will be back.”
Most fans are aware that Medvedev enjoys gaming. Last year, the Russian became co-owner as he partnered with M80, an American esports entertainment company.
The former World No 1 was overjoyed to join M80’s leadership, saying in a social media post that he appreciated CEO Marco Mereu’s ambition for the gaming firm.
“Excited to join @M80gg as an owner! I’ve been a fan of esports for a while now and play a lot. Especially @Rainbow6Game,” Daniil Medvedev wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Joining the M80 ownership team is exciting. I love the team, follow many of the players individually, and really like Marco’s vision. More to come!”
Medvedev enjoys playing FIFA, Fortnite, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege. Interestingly, the Russian mimicked FIFA’s famed “Dead Fish” celebration after winning his first Major victory at the 2021 US Open.
He then elaborated on his post-match celebrations following his Flushing Meadows victory.
“I like to play FIFA. I like to play PlayStation. It’s called the ‘dead fish’ celebration,” Medvedev said to Fox News. “If you know your opponent when you play FIFA, many times you’re going to do this. You’re going to score a goal, you’re up 5-0, you do this one.”