2023/24 Fantasy Premier League Champion Jonas Sand Labak says his accomplishments are still not complete after becoming world No.1 at just 20 years old.
The Norwegian student watched with his team as his title was confirmed from a pub on Sunday Uncle blah Extending an already comfortable lead over its closest rival.
„I don’t even know if it’s sunk in yet, I realize what I did and how big of an accomplishment it really is – to win by 51 points!” Labak said. „I don’t know what the biggest hit of all time is, but it can’t be far off.
„It means a lot. For me, it’s really hard to put into words. I’m 20 now, I’ve been playing since I was nine, and suddenly now I’m the champion. It feels a little surreal. I never dreamed I’d win it. Not ever.
„It’s been a lot of fun and stressful. Over the last few weeks, a lot of mental capacity has gone into FPL and I’ve been busy with both illness and exams at some point so I felt a bit mentally drained.
„But I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I had to put my time into it.”
History for Norway
Labak is the first Norwegian to be crowned FPL champion – a remarkable piece of history for a country with the third-most fantasy managers in Europe this season and 10th in the world.
„In the past we’ve had quite a few people at the top – the most commonly known being our chess world champion Magnus. [Carlsen],” Labak said.
„From everything I can see and read, Norway is considered the best country in fantasy football, especially in the FPL. But we don’t have a winner, so it feels very special.
“People in Norway love football and this sport [FPL]It makes an already interesting product in the Premier League even more interesting.
Emotional roller coaster
Labak first started looking at the No. 1 spot in Gameweek 25, when he moved up from No. 63 to No. 27 in the world.
„That was the first time that thought actually crossed my mind, but I didn’t believe it,” he said. “When Bill Foden scored a hat-trick when I didn’t own him, I thought it was all over. But the next day, [Alejandro] Carnacho scored a brace and my hopes rose again.
“But it wasn’t until I climbed to third place in Gameweek 33 that I realized I actually had a good chance of winning.
“In Gameweek 34, when Arsenal played Chelsea and [Martin] Odegard assisted Ben White – it looked like a cross from White to me – and it was a wonderful moment because the guy behind me had neither of those.
“I think he had [Bukayo] Cal, Gabriel et al [William] Saliba or something, swinging at least nine points. When they scored that goal I couldn’t contain myself. I was very happy.
“On the final day, I went to a pub with some guys and tried not to think too much about FPL until two hours before the deadline before going there.
„You don’t know about football, so I didn’t want to celebrate at the beginning. But when I saw [my rival’s] In the team, there were only two different players so I was very confident. It was [Alexander] Isaac and Garnacho Vs [Kai] Howards et al [Brennan] Johnson. And 46 points required a giant miracle if he was going to win it.
„Friends, family and many people I haven’t spoken to for years – are now sending me messages. It’s a lot of fun.
Next: The FPL champion reveals the secrets to his success
„Całkowity introwertyk. Nieprzejednany specjalista od sieci. Przyjazny fanatyk bekonu. Student ekstremalnych. Miłośnik piwa. Organizator.”