Danny Aarons on joining EXCEL Esports, Adeyemi & a rage-free FIFA career
After rising in popularity over the last few years with the in-depth FIFA Ultimate Team series and cameos on podcasts with some of the biggest streamers in the world, Danny Aarons has found a new home.
The British content creator has amassed over five million followers on all accounts, and in the wake of FIFA's rebrand to EA Sports FC, he's now taken his career to the next level as the young football fanatic has now joined EXCEL Esports.
As of July 13, Danny Aarons will join the EXCEL Esports ranks as a Content Creator, joining the likes of Fortnite creator Jackson "Rezhexx" Bradbury, VALORANT streamer Daniela "Jupi" Gradl, and professional FIFA player Thomas "Tom" Leese who previously joined the organisation for a record fee.
Following the announcement, GGRecon spoke to Aarons about his move to EXCEL, his favourite FIFA moments and Ultimate Team cards, and what makes a good FIFA player.
A safe home in an unstable market
The content creation market is as unstable as a three-legged donkey right now, with massive layoffs in the streamer sides of esports organisations being prevalent, and a shift in the landscape to housing more creator-led groups like Sidemen and Beta Squad.
But EXCEL and Danny Aarons aren't falling into this trap and have decided that there is a success story to be birthed here.
"I'm very happy to be a part of a great team and to be honest, I'm just looking forward to absolutely everything," Danny told GGRecon.
"My role is basically just to do what I do on my channel, but also do it on EXCEL's as well as mine, and just try and create the best content possible with, for both me and EXCEL."
Despite collaborating with various streamers and teams in the past though, and naming the Sidemen Charity match as the highlight of his streaming career, it was his esports roots that grounded Danny to EXCEL.
"I started out in the esports scene by just playing games and, and while I will venture out, I've always respected my roots. I always want to stay in the gaming industry and I like watching a lot of esports, so it just made a lot of sense," he added.
Iconic FIFA series continuation into EASFC and the greatest Ultimate Team cards ever
Over the years, Danny Aarons has become increasingly popular for his one-player focused series, especially with those based on Silas Katompa Mvumpa and most recently Karim Adeyemi, the latter of which has accrued over 200 episodes.
With a shift to EASFC and its own Ultimate Team-like mode, he's now confirmed that such a series will be continued, although there's no knowing which player he will be using this time.
"Yeah, I'll carry the series on. I've got no idea what player that is yet, but if it's not broken, don't fix it. I think so we're definitely going to keep the same little blueprint going.
"I think Adeyemi's Army has been like my best series to date. I'm on like 208 episodes or something, whereas on the Silas one, it was about maybe 70 episodes. It's the longevity that's kept it going that has made it a lot more enjoyable."
Although Adeyemi is the focus of his FIFA 23 series, there is room in Danny's heart for other cards too. In fact, the young Brit actually placed Adeyemi third in his top-three cards of all time.
"Of all time, Flashback Ibra is up there. I think it was FIFA 19 and Flashback Ibrahimovic was by far the best card I've ever used. Then it's gonna have to be - a weird one - but base Maradona in FIFA 19. Again, I think I packed him in an icon pack and I just loved him. I used him all year round. And, if I don't say Adeyemi, I'll be cancelled. So Adeyemi."
Staying happy and relaxed on FIFA is the remedy for success
FIFA has unearthed a reputation for tele-smashing rage, especially for content creators, with fans clearly getting quite the kick after seeing the collapse of morale for streamers conceding last-minute goals.
But while some creators might get a kick from slamming controllers, Danny has claimed that staying happy and relaxed is the best way to get better on FIFA / EASFC, and it makes for a better streaming experience.
"I would say don't care that much. Previously when I've properly tried in FIFA, I get way too involved and so when I make a slight mistake everything goes wrong. So, I would just say the best advice, it's not actually to care that much and like just to play it as a game, because it is a game."
As for what you might want to do to get a headstart when EA Sports FC launches, Danny also gave a parting piece of advice for his fans.
"At the start of the year, what I do is grind FUT draft. That's literally all you need to do because it's a win-win. You can get all the good players for 'free', you can judge what the meta is, and you still get packs at the same time.
Danny Aarons will likely pop up much more frequently on EXCEL's Podcasts and content, injecting a fun personality into everything EASFC related for the organisation.
