How I won fantasy football in my first ever season - without using AI

Danish medical student Erik Ibsen, 23, says it's "insane" he beat more than 11 million FPL players. Fantasy Premier League champion on winning FPL without using AI Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Erik Ibsen had never played Fantasy Premier League before this season A photo of Erik Ibsen smiling at the camera. He has blonde hair that comes down to just above his eyes and is wearing a very light coloured yellow shirt that is buttoned up. Behind him is a picturesque scene of green bushes and general greenery with some mountains in the far background. How I won fantasy football in my first ever season - without using AI The Premier League season might be long-forgotten already - but we're definitely still in the window where bragging about how well you did in fantasy football is just about acceptable. Plenty of people will have been frantically checking the app on Sunday to see if they'd beaten friends, family or colleagues and topped their mini leagues. Someone who was refreshing a little more than most is 23-year-old Everton fan Erik Ibsen. But the Danish medical student managed to hold on to his lead to be crowned the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) champion - in his first season playing the game. Ibsen only started playing because his sister was doing a work league and wanted some help, which turned into him picking his own team "for sibling rivalry". But he tells BBC Newsbeat going on to then beat millions of others to the title is "completely insane". "If you had told me at the start of the season I'd even be close I would have thought it's a joke. "I don't know how to put it into words," he says. "I remember when I was like number 18 [in the league], just that alone was completely insane, but then to win it and bring it home." FPL is the UK's most popular fantasy league, and claims to have more than 11 million players taking part. Users face a £100m budget as they select squads of 15 footballers, who each earn points based on their weekly on-pitch performance. Ibsen was 21 points ahead going into the final day of the season but ended up winning by 38 points thanks to a 14-point haul from his captain, and Manchester United's skipper, Bruno Fernandes. "Of course there's been some luck involved but I have also put time into it and it's taken a lot of my energy," he says. Ibsen adds his "childhood dream" was to be a football manager and winning FPL makes him "feel like a football expert". "I don't really have any education [in] football, all my analysis and statistical understanding is based off of my own education." Much like Arsenal, Erik had a reason to celebrate at the end of the season Arsenal squad photo with the fans at Selhurst Park FPL has become so competitive that it's led to a whole industry of content creators offering weekly tips for anyone looking to sift through stats as the season goes on. More players have been turning to Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools - as Newsbeat found out in January - though not everyone agrees they have a place in the game. More players have been turning to Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools - - though not everyone agrees they have a place in the game. It's fair to say FPL took over Ibsen's life, with him telling Newsbeat about his vast "Excel sheet". "I think I was sitting with it four or five hours a day [in] the last week," he says. "I have an exam in three weeks and I haven't even started studying for it." Ibsen admits the amount of FPL content he consumed "grew more and more" as the season went on, but says he resisted the temptation to turn to AI for help. "I think people can look back at my first few weeks and see this guy didn't use AI," he says, revealing he had "not normal" captaincy choices including defenders James Tarkowski and Marc Guéhi, as well as goalkeeper David Raya. He says he didn't use AI to plan it, because "it didn't really take account for scenarios". "For example like when [Manchester] City and Arsenal were playing the last game, they were still rated as the best players to buy, even though they had nothing to play for, whereas I was quite critical of that." Erik is an Everton fan but regrets early decisions like picking defender James Tarkowski James Tarkowski playing a game of football for Everton. He is turned to the side and has both his arms out as if he's gesturing to someone behind the camera He is wearing a blue Everton football shirt with some of his name and the number six visible on the back, and the captain's armband is on the top of his left arm. One of the many prizes Ibsen gets for winning FPL is a seven-night UK break, including VIP hospitality at two Premier League games next season. And he says he's already looking forward to a trip to his beloved Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium. "I've never watched a Premier League game, to go from nothing to those kind of seats will be a special experience," he says. "I've heard so many good things, it would be an awesome experience." The medical student is holding off celebrating properly until he's finished his exams next month. But he's already planned an "appreciation post" for players who helped him - like when Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott scored 12 points against Arsenal in April. And his advice for the millions of people who will pick up the FPL app again next season, despite promising themselves they wouldn't do it to themselves again? "For new people who want to win, just have patience. "And for people who just want to start playing, just have fun. "I had so many bad weeks and I still ended up winning... don't let the weak results define your whole season." A footer logo for BBC Newsbeat. It has the BBC logo and the word Newsbeat in white over a colorful background of violet, purple and orange shapes. At the bottom a black square reading "Listen on Sounds" is visible. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here. at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back Liverpool Football Club celebrate winning the Premier League title. A group of players in red wearing medals jump in the air, lifting a silver trophy. In the background we can see the stadium, with fireworks and a banner that reads 'Champions 2024/25'. 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