Erik Ibsen says his Fantasy Premier League title came from patience, budget value and trusting his own research rather than influencers or favourite clubs. The 23-year-old Danish medical student finished first overall out of 11 million players despite never playing before. He was 8 millionth after week one, while the runner-up was inside the top 100.
The champion's method
“1,000% being new to the game helped me win,” Ibsen told the BBC. He also said: “I didn't pay for a service or listened to influencers, I used all my own reasearch and choices.” That approach shaped the whole season. He was not building around reputation, and he was not chasing every fashionable move.
Consistency sat at the centre of it. “The biggest thing is being consistent,” he said, and his transfer logic backed that up. “One of my biggest tips is to find those cheaper enablers - those budget players who provide value while also enabling you to include more big-money players.”
Haaland, Gross and the value pick
Erling Haaland stayed in the plan. Ibsen called him essential, and Haaland remains the most expensive FPL player of all time at £15.5m. That kind of premium is hard to ignore when you are trying to build around one reliable captaincy option.
He also pointed to Pascal Groß as the sort of cheaper pick that makes the structure work: “Pascal Gross of Brighton is an amazing choice if you want to save money, but also have a great player at the same time.” Groß takes penalties, free-kicks and corners while costing only £5.5m. In a season where Brighton won 3 and lost 2 of their last 5 league games, that sort of role is exactly what FPL managers pay for.
Ibsen added that luck played a part too, saying: “Of course you have to be lucky with your predictions. Everything I touched was gold.” The lesson is still clear enough: he did not win by gambling on every swing, he won by backing his own reads, protecting value and keeping Haaland in the frame.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
