"Hope we're still friends Daniil Medvedev" - David De Gea hilariously reacts to his Esports team Rebels beating Russian's M80 at IEM Katowice 2024

Former Manchester United star David de Gea dunked on his good friend Daniil Medvedev after the latter's team, M80, lost to the Spaniard's Rebels Gaming in Counter-Strike 2 at the 2024 IEM Katowice.

IEM Katowice 2024 is the first big esports event of the year for teams specializing in Counter-Strike. While eight top teams receive direct entry into the group stage, 16 teams compete in a knockout bracket to qualify for the eight remaining spots in the group stage.

Interestingly, M80 and Rebels Gaming were among the 16 teams that faced off for a spot in the group stage of IEM Katowice 2024 on Saturday. Both teams have stars in their leadership; while former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev is a key investor in M80 last November and world-class goalkeeper David de Gea launched Rebels Gaming in 2021.

Rebels went through the group stage as they outgunned M80 by a scoreline of 13-9 in Counter-Strike 2. De Gea subsequently took to X (formerly Twitter) to poke fun at Medvedev, while expressing pride in his team qualifying for the group-stage matches at IEM Katowice 2024.

"Hope we are still friends bro @DaniilMedwed, SO SO PROUD of the team!! Main event @RebelsGaming, WP @M80gg," David de Gea wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) handle.

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Daniil Medvedev is a key investor in M80 group

Daniil Medvedev's iconic "Dead Fish" celebration after winning the 2021 US Open

Most tennis fans know that Daniil Medvedev is a gaming enthusiast. Last year, the Russian became a co-owner and partner in M80, an American esports entertainment organization.

The former World No. 1 was ecstatic at joining M80's leadership, stating in a social media post that he admired CEO Marco Mereu's vision for the gaming company.

"Excited to join @M80gg as an owner! I’ve been a fan of esports for a while now and play a lot. Especially @Rainbow6Game," Daniil Medvedev wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "Joining the M80 ownership team is exciting. I love the team, follow many of the players individually, and really like Marco’s vision. More to come!"

For those unaware, Medvedev loves playing FIFA, Fortnite, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege. Interestingly, the Russian also copied the famous "Dead Fish" celebration from FIFA after winning his maiden Major title at the 2021 US Open.

He later delved deeper into his post-match celebrations following his Flushing Meadows triumph.

"I like to play FIFA. I like to play PlayStation. It's called the 'dead fish' celebration," Medvedev said to Fox News. "If you know your opponent when you play FIFA, many times you're going to do this. You're going to score a goal, you're up 5-0, you do this one."