Professional footballer says GTA 5 made his recent move to Los Angeles easy, because he already knew his way around

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Hugo Lloris thought he know all the landmarks

The three playable characters having an exchange in GTA 5
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

World Cup-winning footballer Hugo Lloris thought moving to his new team in Los Angeles would be no big deal, because he'd played so much Grand Theft Auto. 

In a recent interview with GetFootballNewsFrance, the former Tottenham Hotspur keeper and French international team captain spoke about moving from London, where he'd spent the last 12 years as a goalkeeper, all the way to LA. The move came about because he was let go by Tottenham at the end of last season, but he's now playing for Major Soccer League club LA FC.

"In terms of population, it seems to get bigger with every move, but I think we'll stop here," Lloris said of the past cities he's lived in, and how they compare to LA. "The film industry, Dr. Dre, GTA... I played this game so much on the PlayStation that I had the impression that I knew all the landmarks of the city without having been here," Lloris said of LA.

It's a little hard to know which GTA Lloris is actually talking about here. The goalkeeper could actually be talking about San Andreas on the PS2, which is based around LA, or he could easily be talking about GTA 5, the far more recent GTA game which is based on LA. Considering he's 37 years old, he could well be talking about either game, but the more recent title is probably more likely.

The outlet points to Lloris reportedly rejecting bigger salaries from clubs like Bayer Leverkusen, Newcastle United, OGC Nice, and PSV Eindhoven in favor of joining LA FC. Perhaps playing so much GTA over the years factored into Lloris's decision to reject the other clubs and move out to LA.

In more recent GTA-based news, GTA 6's developer is bringing its workers back to its offices five days a week, in the name of "security" and "productivity" as the game enters the final stretch before launch.

Check out our new games 2024 guide for a look ahead at all the games we've got to look forward to before GTA 6 arrives next year. 

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.