The inaugural FC Pro Open Global Qualifier introduced the watching world to several rising stars of eSports. However, none were quite as impressive as AntoniniGabriel, who was the youngest player to qualify out of the 20.

Aged just 17, Gabriel Antonini is still a relative newcomer on the EA Sports FC Pro circuit. Indeed, it wasn’t until October of last year that the Italian qualified for his first-ever C-tier competition – the Eligella Community Pro Cup #14.

Having been eliminated in the quarter-final of that competition, he was able to round off the 2022/23 season with a top-100 finish in the FIFA 23 Global Series Europe Rankings.

The youngster headed into the FC Pro Open Regional Qualifiers needing to produce his best performances in order to qualify – and boy did he deliver.

Representing EKO Esports (who he’s been with since 2021), Antonini produced a career-best performance to secure passage to the FC Pro Open Global Qualifier in impressive fashion.

Four wins in the Swiss Stage were followed up by victories against fellow FC Pro Open qualifiers Happy and Levi De Weerd in the knockout stage - which simultaneously secured his place in the Open and put the rest of his rivals on notice.

The dramatic 4-3 win over De Weerd was a significant milestone for the youngster, but an even tougher challenger lies ahead – as Antonini will face another Dutchman in ManuBachoore in Group C of the FC Pro Open.

If he can get the better of the 2023 FIFAe World Cup champion, the hype surrounding Gabriel Antonini might just go into overdrive – and rightly so.