Interview with Abes

Abes has won the award for Player of the Month for April, after making his presence known in the Win 100 PES Points events. We asked him a few questions about himself..

Real Name: Abraham Ofereh-Mugbeh
Abes will be 24 in a few days - Happy Birthday for Sunday!

How and when did you get into playing PES?
I have been playing PES since it was called International Superstar Soccer (ISS) on the Super Nintendo. Me and my younger brother were about 11 and 9 respectively when our older brothers brought it home. We were instantly hooked, playing each other and friends all day. These were always bonding moments for me and my brothers, so we have been enjoying happy football ever since. Completing scenarios mode and jotting down the long 20 digit passcode to recover a saved tournament as there were no memory unit on the Snes... (which we never ever took down correctly)... But anyways, its been our favourite game ever since and we have always been PES fans considering I haven't touched fifa since the thumb blisters I received from the classic '99!

How long have you been playing events with PES Rankings?
I came across PES Rankings in the late stages of last season and tried an offline event, but didn't understand it much. This year I saw the winner of last year's picture in the middle page of the booklet and I thought..."hey this is legit, I might partake this year".

What would you rate as your best events and achievements so far?
The best one would by my November PesFan tournament. It was the first of the season and I won it, beating last years season winner Leng in the final 3-1 (comfortably too)! This was just the icing on the cake really. Also a great achievement was winning with ado haag in one of badboyg's classic assigned team tournaments, crazy fun! And of course, winning Player of the Month for April.


What events have you played in this month
I have taken a break from competing strongly this month. My main priority last month was to win Player of the Month and make the Main Event, which I have done. I have been participating in the assigned team tournaments hosted by leeomac and badboyg. I think these tournaments are great for showing some real tactics and passing movement with any team. I always do well with the teams given, I just enjoy the football match more over winning the game. It's good prep for the when you use bigger teams. I think what led me to being the top player for April was my serious mind set. When I play to win, I do just that, but I just cant help trying new things and being dynamic with my football.

This year will be your first Main Event?
Yes, this will be my first main event. Also the first time I will be among some of the top PES players. I am hoping to rise to the occasion.

How do you rate your chances for this season's Main Event?
My happy football style goes as far as PS3, so I would be instantly handicapped on an Xbox. However, I do think after extensive practice, it wont hinder my game too much and I still get to show some great dribbling, movement and my signature move. 'The Abestar Twist'.

You're currently placed quite highly on the Rankings table. Do you think you are one of the top players?
I do think I can compete with the top players because of the level of experience I have playing PES (even from the earlier versions). As you can see I have played a considerable high amounts of games and I really do enjoy the game. The advantage I now have is that unless my opponent is mixing it up and bringing something new then it would almost be like second nature to take the game. As I have seen a million and one scenarios over and over again and have learnt from them, so I know exactly what to expect.

Is there anybody else's game you respect?
There are a lot of players on Rankings whose style I respect a lot. Footsoldier(brilliant triangle passing attack and calm finishing, he never misses a cheeky trick), BadBoyG(dangerous wing play, crossing and heading know-how), Miller82(all round player with top passing and defending), Brilliancy(very dynamic with his happy football), Rascal(super quick 3 man attack you can hardly keep up with). Others that stand out are Pirate, rossi, greek, azady. All these people have helped me improve my game over the season and it comes as no surprise that I respect them because they all have great personalities. Always a reminder of why PES Rankings is such a good hobby when you meet cool down to earth people.

What sort of tactics do you employ, and do these change depending on who you play against?
Now that would be telling. Happy Football all the way!

What are you looking forward to over the coming year?
The Main Event, without doubt!