Zwed is one of 22 gamers representing the 11 A-League clubs in the third iteration of the E-League in 2020, set to partner up Victory’s new PlayStation representative Rick Tran across the two match-days and finals. 

A three-year E-League veteran, he entered the competition in its debut year as Victory’s PlayStation representative, partnering then-injured Victory A-League player Mitch Austin.

That entrance into the public eye was certainly a memorable one, with the then-25-year-old thanking Victory for signing him over higher-ranked FIFA players by bombastically declaring that “that person probably spends 16 hours a day in a dark room playing nothing but video games – I’ve got far more to offer than that and I’m going to represent the club in the best possible manner.”

And though there was no doubt there was a significant element of Conor McGregor like showmanship in his  2018 vocabulary, three years as an E-Athlete seems to have given Zwed a new perspective. 

Preparing to fly to Sydney for the 2020 iteration of the competition, he was significantly less rambunctious in his observations of E-League athletes. 

“Being an E-athlete from my experience takes a lot of hard work and dedication,” Zwed explained to FTBL.

“Not only you have to be mentally strong, but you have to have a good routine and be in good physical shape to be at your best game.

“Consistent and intense game sessions take a lot out of E-athletes with the amount of concentration needed. Its mentality draining so having a healthy lifestyle makes a good E-athlete.

“By a healthy lifestyle, I mean putting the hours of practice while having enough hours of sleep and eating right – it makes a massive difference in the long run.

“A lot of people lack the understanding of the hard work and dedication it takes to be a top E-athlete. To be honest with you, I don’t even consider myself one!”

Also a representative of Kingston City in NPL Victoria – Zwed is the only high-level footballer competing in the E-League in 2020 – Zwed played a key role as Victory secured the E-League’s 2019 Premiership, scoring the fastest ever 'El Tornado' goal in round four. 

“I’m currently balancing football, FIFA and a full-time job, having a full-time job gives me a daily routine,” he said.

“I work from 7 am to 4 pm, then training [with Kingston City] from 6:30 pm to 8 pm and I squeeze in a couple of hours of FIFA every night just to stay in shape.

“I do most of my FIFA practice over the weekend. You may think this mentally draining and you’re not wrong but as I said having a healthy lifestyle makes it so much easier for myself to balance football and FIFA. Plus I enjoy doing it so it’s not as bad as it sounds.

Zwed’s story as a dual E-League/NPL Victoria player is a fascinating one, and that’s even before you take into account his remarkable upbringing and the path that took him to where he is today.

The 27-year-old was born in Poland while his father completed his PhD, before moving back to his familial homeland of Libya at a young age.

Further relocation was on the agenda for the then-16-year-old when his father Omran accepted a diplomatic position with the Libyan consulate in Canberra, the teenager’s integration in Australian life aided by his joining of local football club Woden Valley.

Laying down roots in Australia and studying IT at the University of Canberra, he was a part of the Tuggeranong United side that met Victory in the 2014 FFA Cup before switching to ACT powers Canberra FC and playing a part in their title-winning 2015 campaign.

A move to NPL Victoria side Kingston City then arose in 2016, with Zwed a member of the side that scored a dramatic 93rd minute equaliser to draw with Brunswick City on the final day of the NPL2 Eastern Conference season and secure promotion to the top-flight.

Though an ACL injury robbed him of the 2018 season, he’s been a fixture at The Grange Reserve ever since; getting set to lace up the boots as Kingston look to bounce straight back to Victoria’s top tier after suffering relegation in 2019.

“Pre-season has been pretty solid,” he said.

“Considering our season doesn’t start until March [Kingston open their season at home to Werribee City on March 23] we have been training since November. We’ve got a lot of running and pre-season games under our belts which is always a good sign.

“There has been a lot of changes at the club, a new coaching staff [Con Tangalakis replacing new Bentleigh Greens coach Nick Tolios] and new players. But I’m very impressed with the new lads coming in this year.

“It’s a very young squad that’s very motivated and hungry to do well, so I think we will do very well. The aim obviously to get promoted back to the NPL where we belong, and that’s what we will be working on.

Of course, the E-League reputation of Zwed, or the “Polish-born, Libyan E-League superstar” to give him the title bestowed upon him by NPL Victoria commentators, does proceed him when he arrives at Kingston training.

“Every single week last year I was copping it from the lads at Kingston,” Zwed laughed.

“I think I’ve paid the most amount of fines out of anyone. It was at the point where I was telling Victory not to put any more posts of me up on social media!

“But all the lads at the club were pretty supportive of what I do.

“During games sometimes I do get oppositions throwing few words here and there such as ‘stick to FIFA mate’ and it always makes me laugh because it’s the exact same thing everyone says every game.

“And it’s always the same lads that go home after training/games and fire up the game!

“So we just laugh it off after the game and move on no hard feelings.”

Header Image Credit: Melbourne Victory