Everton Fan Crowned Fantasy Premier League Champion

Everton supporter Erik Ibsen has made global headlines by being crowned the official 2025/26 Fantasy Premier League champion. 

The 23-year-old medical student from Denmark navigated a stressful final week to claim the world title by a 38-point margin. Incredibly, it was Erik’s first-ever season playing the game, having only signed up to help his sister with her own work league.

While Erik currently studies at the Southern Danish University as a medical student, his footballing roots trace back to growing up in Norway, where former Scotland international Steven Naismith played a key role in seeing him choose to back the Toffees as part of a proud act of defiance.

"I lived in Norway growing up, and so many of the kids supported Liverpool, Manchester United or Manchester City," Erik explained to evertonfc.com. "I told my dad I wanted a different jersey because I wanted to represent something else. And then he got me a Steven Naismith Everton jersey.

"I was nine at the time, and blue was my favourite colour. I wore that jersey to every single training session – it was the only thing I wanted to wear. From there, I became an Everton fan. I'm actually proud to be an Everton fan because I feel like there aren't a lot of us where I live."

The Naismith shirt has since been passed down to Erik's younger cousin, sparking a family chain reaction. "He now supports Everton, too," Erik revealed. "We have a bunch of young cousins in a big family, so we are trying to indoctrinate them all."

Naturally, Erik kept a keen eye on the Toffees' real-world progress alongside his fantasy exploits throughout this past season.

"I enjoyed this season even though we didn’t quite have enough to make Europe," said Erik, reflecting on the campaign as a whole. "I felt like we could go into any game and win. I loved watching Iliman Ndiaye play, but my favourite player for us is James Garner. I can’t believe he’s not going to the World Cup!"

As part of his grand prize for beating over 10 million managers worldwide, Erik will receive VIP tickets to a Premier League match next season – an award that will finally bring him to Merseyside for the first time.

"I have never managed to go to a Premier League game," said Erik. "So the fact that I can do so seeing Everton, and at the new stadium, is amazing. I am so excited to be going there.

"The Merseyside derby would be a dream fixture to attend, but to be totally honest, I just want to experience watching Everton. I don’t mind which game it ends up being."