With the 2026 World Series of Poker underway and the biggest football tournament in the world happening right now, there has never been a better time to bring these two topics together and talk about football players who also play poker.
While the two don’t seem to have that much in common, there is actually a surprising number of footballers who enjoy testing their skills on the green felt.
For some, it is just another area where they can compete; for others, poker is a serious endeavor that they pour a lot of time and effort into.
In this article, we bring you an overview of five footballers who play poker and who you may encounter at your table at one point or another.
#1 Neymar Jr.
Of all the poker-playing footballers, Neymar Jr. has to be the biggest name out there. The Brazilian star has won countless trophies over the course of his career and has played in some of the biggest clubs, including Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.
The 34-years-old has transferred to his boyhood club, Santos, and he is a part of the 2026 Brazilian national team, and his presence has attracted a lot of attention across the best sports betting sites.
As for Neymar’s poker efforts, he’s been an ambassador for PokerStars for many years now, initially signing up with the online poker giant in 2015. In addition to his tournament appearances, which netted him over $100k in cashes, Neymar appeared on a number of poker shows.
For the Brazilian, poker is certainly a fun hobby more than anything else, but he gets a lot of coverage from the poker and general media whenever and wherever he shows up to play, and his presence certainly helps with growing the game and attracting new players.
#2 Gerard Piqué
Another former Barcelona star, Gerard Piqué, took up poker more seriously after retiring from professional football in 2022.
As far as his football credentials, there are very few players who can match Piqué. Over the course of his career, he won three dozen major trophies, playing for Manchester United, Barcelona, and the Spanish National Team.
His poker results are nothing to sneeze at, either. So far, the Spaniard has accumulated over $700k in tournament cashes, with his best result coming in the 2019 EPT Barcelona High Roller. He finished a runner-up, collecting over €352k.
As for Pique’s televised poker appearances, he was in the lineup for one of Pokerstars’ Big Game on Tour seasons, sharing the table with the likes of Jennifer Tilly, Andre Akkari, Sam Grafton, and Griffin Benger.
#3 Max Kruse
The 38-year-old German footballer, Max Kruse, is arguably the most successful football player who turned to poker.
Over the course of his football career, Kruse played in the Bundesliga as a forward, and he gathered 14 caps for the German National Team, scoring a total of four goals.
In recent years, Kruse has turned almost all of his attention to poker, and, so far, he’s accumulated around $660k in live tournament winnings. In 2022, he claimed his first (and so far, only) bracelet during the WSOP Europe festival in Rozvadov.
Unlike most footballers, Kruse’s interest in the game goes well beyond Texas Hold’em. The German is an avid fan of mixed games, and he seems very keen on becoming a successful poker player. If his football career is anything to go by, we wouldn’t bet against him.
#4 Ronaldo Nazário
One of Brazil’s most legendary football players, Ronaldo Nazário, has also been known to dabble with poker.
Ronaldo’s football achievements hardly need an overview. This is one name that even the most casual fans of the game know. The legendary Brazilian striker has 98 caps for the Brazilian National Team, and he is the third-biggest scorer for Brazil, with 62 goals.
As for his poker career, it started with the PokerStars sponsorship back in 2013, and Ronaldo became one of the biggest ambassadors for the game in the country. He is probably one of the people most responsible for the poker boom in Brazil.
#5 Teddy Sheringham
We’ll end this list of five football players who play poker with a legend from a slightly different time. Teddy Sheringham is an English forward who accomplished a lot over the span of his 24-year career.
Sheringham played in several of the biggest English clubs and was a member of the England National Team 51 times. Over those appearances, he scored 11 goals.
The English striker picked up poker during the poker boom, and he did pretty well at the tables, accumulating $330k in live tournament earnings. Unfortunately, the Hendon Mob doesn’t show any results after 2015, so it seems like Sheringham’s love for poker wasn’t that long-lasting.
