Chelsea Celebrity Corner: Naman Mathur

Bollywood superstar and die-hard Chelsea fan Arjun Kapoor sat down with e-sports player Naman Mathur for the latest episode of Chelsea Ke Superfans. Naman, who goes by the name of "Mortal" in the e-sports industry, is part of such a unique industry and spoke about what it’s like to be a professional e-sports player.

“I started playing casually on my mobile phone. I used to record and upload my games which is when PUBG came into the scene. People took up that game very well and started playing that game. I uploaded tips and tricks videos and one such video went viral! It wasn’t something I was planning to do - it was accidental!”

When asked by Arjun Kapoor about how he became a professional e-sports player, Naman revealed that it all started from his Youtube videos.

“It started from Youtube as I started uploading more and more videos about my gameplay. Then PUBG mobile started hosting tournaments and I had a good group of people. We participated in tournaments and since the game had just come out, it was like the one who plays more knows the game well.”

“A tournament happened after that and we won it, that’s how the journey began! We even represented India globally and went to Germany to play a tournament, so yes that’s been my professional career so far!”

Naman was nominated for the Esports Awards in 2020, as he placed second in the Streamer of the Year award and third in the Mobile Player of the Year category. He also became the first Indian in history to be nominated for the award, indicating that his journey has been no small feat. When asked by Arjun Kapoor about his organization named S8UL, Naman said that it was something he started with two other partners.

“Three of us started a gaming house in Navi Mumbai named S8UL. The plan was to have Esports, content creation and live streaming under one roof. That was important to us!”

Known as the S8UL Gaming House, it is the biggest gaming house to have ever been made in India. The place has CCTV surveillance 24*7 and begins with a waiting area to enable clients to feel comfortable. As far as the main features of the property are concerned, there is a lounge area for everyone to interact and blow off some steam.

The three founders have also managed to set up a dining area with an in-house chef, while rooms for e-sports players along with locker rooms are amongst the other salient features of the property.

Moving on to his journey as a Chelsea fan, Naman spoke about an interesting story when he was a young boy.

“When I was young, I liked football and the colour Blue. I saw Chelsea at the top of the table and started following them. That was back in 2009, though, so I watched a game and became a fan of Chelsea.”

Naman picked the 2012 UEFA Champions League final between Chelsea and Bayern Munich as the moment that made him a passionate Chelsea fan. He also lavished praise on Thomas Tuchel’s impact at the club and singled out the club’s defensive solidity for special praise.

As for FIFA, Naman picked N’Golo Kante as his favorite player in the game, while he named Mason Mount as his favorite player in real life. Finally, he named his all-time Chelsea XI and also made a bold prediction for the upcoming UEFA Champions League final against Manchester City.

Naman’s all-time Chelsea XI: Petr Cech, Cesar Azpilicueta, John Terry, Antonio Rudiger, Marcos Alonso, N’Golo Kante, Frank Lampard, Cesc Fabregas, Mason Mount, Didier Drogba, Eden Hazard

Naman’s UCL final prediction: Manchester City 0-2 Chelsea

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