Thomas Gravesen: From Football Fields to Gaming Excellence
Before retiring from professional football, former Denmark international Thomas Gravesen would dedicate his pre-season time to mastering Call of Duty – and he achieved impressive rankings in the gaming world.
Nicknamed ‘Mad Dog’ by his teammates, Gravesen built a respectable football career spanning several prestigious clubs. He represented Everton in the Premier League, had a memorable period at Celtic, and accumulated 66 caps for Denmark’s national team. Perhaps most surprisingly, he made a shocking £2.5 million transfer from Everton to Real Madrid in 2005, joining the Spanish giants.
Though Gravesen hung up his boots 16 years ago, the controversial midfielder has maintained a headline-grabbing lifestyle. His financial portfolio is particularly impressive – reports suggest he’s amassed a fortune of approximately £100 million through shrewd investments. The former footballer now resides in an exclusive gated community alongside his girlfriend, model Kamila Persse.
Pool Shark and Gaming Enthusiast: Gravesen’s Hidden Talents
Beyond his football prowess, Gravesen has developed quite a reputation at Las Vegas pool tables. Former Celtic teammate Paul Caddis recently revealed on the Undr The Cosh podcast that Gravesen had a particular talent for hustling his younger teammates:
- Regularly organized pool games with young Celtic players, charging “£25 a head”
- Only played when money was involved, creating pots of around £250
- Brought a professional-grade Ronnie O’Sullivan signed pool/snooker cue
- Made younger players use “run of the mill horrendous” house cues
- “Cleaned up” consistently despite already being a “multi-millionaire”
While most Scottish Premiership players would spend pre-season bonding with teammates, Gravesen took a different approach. According to Caddis, the Danish midfielder would return to his homeland and retreat to what was described as a tiny attic room at his parents’ house.
There, Gravesen would spend approximately six weeks focused intensely on his PlayStation – particularly Call of Duty. This dedication evidently paid off, as Caddis noted that Gravesen achieved a remarkable ranking as “number one or number two for Call of Duty at one point.”
This gaming excellence might explain his success at pool tables – both activities requiring precision, strategic thinking, and competitive focus, qualities Gravesen clearly possessed both on and off the football pitch.
Today, at 49 years old, the former midfielder continues to enjoy the fruits of his diverse talents and investments, proving his competitive spirit extended well beyond professional football.
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