Yu-Gi-Oh Recruits Pro Soccer Legend as New Global Ambassador

Yu-Gi-Oh made a name for itself years ago with its anime and trading cards in the best way. While its peak has passed, the series is still wildly popular all over the globe, and it has proven as much with its new ambassador. After all, a favorite athlete is teaming up with Yu-Gi-Oh, and it is doing so in a very public way.

The news comes after Antoine Griezmann hit up Youtube with Konami to share his partnership with Yu-Gi-Oh. The France and Barcelona striker has made a deal to act as a global ambassador for the series, and Griezmann says the deal came around after he hit up Konami for some Yu-Gi-Oh swag.

According to Griezmann, the brand was more than willing to help out, and he was even asked to visit Japan after being sent some prime cards. It was there Konami not only offered to make a special card for Griezmann but began taking steps to bring on the soccer player as a brand ambassador.

Once the deal went through, Griezmann appeared in a video on Konami's Youtube channel, and it is there he opened up about his love of the franchise. It turns out the athlete first got into the series thanks to the Yu-Gi-Oh anime, but he did tell one Youtube he's not as familiar with the card game.

"I tried to play with a friend, but it was complicated with the whole points system of adding and subtracting points," he shared in a recent interview. "I didn't really play against friends. It was more in front of the TV, in my room with my desk, summoning monsters."

When speaking with Konami, Griezmann said he reunited with Yu-Gi-Oh during a recent training order. Four of five months ago when I was selected for international duty, and traveling to Russia and Kazakhstan, I started to watch Yu-Gi-Oh again and it was amazing."

The player went on to spotlight the reason he joined Yu-Gi-Oh as an ambassador, and Griezmann was sweet about it. For him, the franchise brings back the best of his childhood, and he hopes to share with other children such as his own one day. "Thinking back to my childhood makes me feel good. I know that one day, I will be able to show my son what his dad used to watch when he was young, and I'm sure he is going to love it," he shared. "It will be a kind of legacy."

What do you think of this ambassador addition? Do you still keep up with the Yu-Gi-Oh trading cards scene? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.

HT - Kotaku