Each year millions of people around the world play Fantasy Football, seeking to select the best combination of Premier League players throughout the season and secure the most points.
This year’s winner is Ali Jahangirov of Azerbaijan, who beat 11 million players worldwide to win the coveted title for 2023.
In an extremely tight contest, Jahangirov’s team FPL Gunz finished with a remarkable 2,776 points, five points clear of his nearest rival AZZURRI. The runner-up came within a whisker of finishing top on the final day, but real-life substitutions kept out one of his high-scoring player that he had benched.
2022-23 Fantasy Premier League: Top 5 Teams
1. Ali Jahangirov (FPL Gunz) – 2,776
2. Abdullah Amr (AZZURI) – 2,771
3. = Joanne Hales-Owen (Twist Tigers) – 2,770
3. = Craig Marshall (slam tent) – 2,770
5. Khaled Zaki (Kani FC) – 2,763
The game is open to everyone worldwide and is free to play for those with the Fantasy Football app on their smart phones.
Jahangirov’s success has seen him interviewed by multiple media, including the BBC and Sky Sports, and he has also been giving tips to Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
In his Sky Sports interview following the final games of the season on Sunday, Jahangirov said:
“It feels surreal to be honest. It’s an amazing feeling to be best in the world – especially in a football-related game I love. It has not sunk in yet but the messages of support have been overwhelming.”
The Arsenal fan said he was most surprised about how “patient and calm” he was when the going got tough, and keeping faith with players such as Gabriel Martinelli, Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Tyrone Mings even when they went through a bad patch.
“Some of the decisions have gone my way but most of them were calculated and well thought through. I am usually more compulsive in stressful moments.
“No one knows exactly which players could do well beforehand and even if your team looks weak on paper it may well surprise you and do amazing. Surprisingly I have kept faith in players who were out of form at that particular moment but managed to recover and perform well again, when other managers opted to get rid.”
What millions of people around the would dream of… becoming #FPL champion! 🏆
Congratulations, @FplGunz 👏 pic.twitter.com/h9bsoPTaRD
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) May 29, 2023
The player, who came 215th last season, said he will stick with a similar strategy for next season, including playing his wildcard (when you can change all the players in your team for one week) “as late as possible as it is the strongest chip which allows you to change your entire team when things go wrong.”
In another interview Jahangirov stated his choice of captains, who score double points in their games, were another vital part of his success.
“[Captaincy is] absolutely crucial because if you end up captaining the wrong player, you’re basically losing 10 to 15 points each Gameweek, and on average that’s a lot of points at the end of the season,” said Jahangirov.
“The most valuable asset you can have in FPL is information. So as long as you’re well-informed on your team news, [such as] players that are injured or likely to start, I think that’s the most powerful asset you can have,” the Azerbaijani champion added.
