's players are likely to remember their 2026
Esports World Cup triumph for a long time. After lifting the
League of Legends trophy on Sunday, the team received a rather unexpected congratulatory message from Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, as well as midfielder Xavi Simons, in a video shared across the club's social media channels.
The reason behind the message can largely be traced back to Dplus KIA's star midlaner,
. The 2020 World Champion has never hidden his passion for football and, like many Koreans, has long supported Tottenham Hotspur, largely because of former club icon Son Heung-min.
Not the first interaction between the players
In an interview with Sheep Esports following the Esports World Cup Grand Final, ShowMaker was asked about the atmosphere created by the French crowd, particularly the boos that greeted him as he walked onto the stage from Karmine Corp supporters. Familiar with football culture, he admitted the reception had not bothered him in the slightest, in fact, he walked out smiling. "I felt like Spurs, one of my favourite clubs, going to have a match against Arsenal at the Emirates," he said, adding that he had thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Following those comments, Xavi Simons appeared in a video posted by Tottenham Hotspur's social media accounts to congratulate ShowMaker and Dplus KIA on their Esports World Cup victory. By coincidence, the message arrived just one day before the Korean midlaner's birthday.
It is not the first interaction between the two. ShowMaker has often celebrated LCK victories by recreating footballers' signature celebrations, and on one occasion he imitated one of Simons' celebrations. The Dutch international later reposted the clip on his Instagram Story.
