Erik Ibsen has been crowned 2025/26 Fantasy Premier League champion, winning the world title by 38 points in his FIRST season playing Fantasy and becoming the first Dane to claim the prize.
"I can't put it into words," said Ibsen. "I can’t believe it, frankly. What a season!
“I was quite nauseous right before [the Gameweek 38 deadline], but once the deadline passed and there was nothing more I could do, I think the nerves calmed down."
Ibsen was 21 points ahead going into the final day, and a 14-point haul from his captain Bruno Fernandes (£10.4m) and double-digit scores from his two Gameweek 38 transfers, Jarrod Bowen (£7.8m) and Pedro Porro (£5.2m), along with 10 points from Marcus Tavernier (£5.3m), saw him extend that lead to 38 by the end.
"I was just so worried that if Bruno went crazy I would get punished, so I couldn't take that risk," Ibsen explained of his captaincy choice to host Kelly Somers and guests Sam and Lee Bonfield on The Fantasy Show.
Watch Erik's interview on the Fantasy Show
On his inspired transfers, he added: "I ended up getting in Porro and Bowen which, in my mind, were the clearest options. Both were amazing choices; 22 points from both was incredible."
A 23-year-old medical student at Southern Danish University, Ibsen watched Sunday's matches in a pub and followed his team and his rivals' teams scores on his phone.
"I'm so used to studying with my education; studying FPL was so much fun and I love football," he said.
"I think when I first became No 1 in Gameweek 29, I had hope. But I don’t think I really let myself get bitten by the thought of winning it until the final day. I really tried to stay grounded and let the games play out through to the end."
'I just got completely hooked'
The champion, who supports Everton, revealed it was his sister who was the reason for him creating an FPL team for the first time ahead of Gameweek 1.
"I started because my sister was going to play in her work league and she wanted some help so I helped her with that and she was like, 'Well, you might as well also play so we can play against each other' - for a bit of sibling rivalry - and I just got completely hooked," Ibsen said.
"Once my sister said to me that she was around 200,000 [in the world] at one point, which is also great, and I was like, 'I'm number 281,' and I remember she was like 'What?!'. I don't think I realised how big that actually was.
“I’ve absolutely loved this season. I will never forget Alex Scott in Gameweek 32 (when he got 12 points against Arsenal), but it was quite stressful over the last few weeks. My family, girlfriend and friends know I spent quite a lot of time deliberating over decisions."
'Have fun and find friends to compete with'
So, what advice would Ibsen share with anyone who's interested in playing FPL next season?
"Just have fun," he said. "If you’re having fun, that’s the most important thing, because I was having fun - and I don’t think I would have played every single Gameweek if I wasn’t.
"Don’t let your rank affect if you think it’s going to be fun or not. And find friends to compete with. That also is a great part of it, because that’s how I started. I think that’s the two biggest things - have fun and find some friends to have fun with."