Brazilian forward Wendell Lira delivers a speech after receiving the 2015 FIFA Puskas Award for the goal of the year award. Photo / Getty Images
Many people dream about quitting their day job to play video games all day.
Brazilian pro soccer player Wendell Lira is now living that dream.
Just six months removed from winning the 2015 Puskas Award, Lira announced his retirement on Friday (NZT).
The Brazilian cited mounting injuries for his decision to retire, but also stated his desire to pursue a career in the burgeoning eSports realm, per Globoesporte. His game of choice, naturally, is Fifa.
It might seem odd for a 27-year-old to hang up his cleats and pick up the sticks, but for Lira it makes a decent amount of sense. First, eSports have grown exponentially in popularity. Second, he's pretty darn good at Fifa, too.
After winning the Puskas Award, Lira was challenged by 2015 Fifa Interactive World Cup winner Abdulaziz Alshehri to a game of Fifa. Lira destroyed the champ, 6-1.
Without a day job to worry about now, Lira can dedicate himself to honing his Fifa skills full-time. He plans to launch a YouTube channel to chronicle his foray into the gaming world, and eventually dreams of being an FIWC champion.
OPINION: The boy from Hamilton has become a top-flight goalscoring machine.