"If I don't do skill moves, I can't play" FIFA Pioneer

"It's a man's world."

Sport in particular prejudice against women, and although participation is improving, in terms of prize money and "online hate" - the women's game is incomparable to the men's.

Well, what if we take gender out of it, and provide women to play and comment on the same competitions as men?

Gaming and esports presents that opportunity and FIFA content creator Sandra "SaNkHs" Martinez is shaking up the world of FIFA esports - another male-dominated environment.

"Being a woman brings barriers"

We spoke to SaNkHs fresh off the back of FIFA 21 Women's Invitational victory, where she defeated Spurs and England footballer Gemma Davison.

"Day by day, I've fought for this, worked hard, tried new thing to stay original, and always tried to bring a new perspective to engage audiences and make them feel comfortable."

It's clear to see SaNkHs is a driven individual, having to battle her way up through the industry to reach a point where she can connect with the community.

She began playing Call of Duty competitively but then migrated into the FIFA world.

"Thanks to the support from the community, I decided to focus on being a streamer, play with the people, and get into the FIFA world, which is the best thing I could have done.

"I’ve met a lot of people, it gave me opportunities, and I’m here thanks to the game."

Embarrass your opponent

SaNkHs is renowned for chaining skill moves, which, whether purposely or not, embarrasses her opponent.

"I’m a player that loves skill moves.

"I like to stop and do La Croqueta, with Elasticos, Fake Shots and stepovers my go-to moves.

"At the end of the day, I don’t have a preferred one, because I like all of them!

"People are always calling me out - “You do a lot of skill moves", but I always tell them “If I don’t do it, I don’t know how to play”, you know?"

To perform La Croqueta press L1/LB and move the right analogue right or left (in the direction you want to move).

For an Elastico move the right stick rotate and then rotate clockwise to the left.

A Fake Shot is one of the easiest skill moves to perform, simply press shoot (O/B) then pass (X/A) and move the left stick in the direction you want to dummy.

As for Stepovers, move the right stick to the top and rotate it either to the right or left - remember to then sprint into a certain direction to burst past your opponent.

Her attacking prowess is what makes SaNkHs such a dangerous player.

"People always tell me I’m strong at attacking.

"There are some times where you can’t find an opportunity to score, but I’m a player that always brings a lot of resources for attacking and skills - which is very important this year.

"Skill moves create a lot of spaces and scoring opportunities; that’s what I highlight from my playstyle and gives me that little bit extra to win games."

Stone-cold killer

SaNkHs also shares her tips on creating and putting opportunities away.

"In terms of finishing, it's clear to see what the strong areas of the game are.

"Everyone uses cross-shots (shots across the goal) because 90% of the time they go in.

"Lobbed through passes are also over-powered this year, giving you great opportunities to score.

"Finesse shots also do great, no matter who is doing it, a great finesse shot will always go in and keepers usually can’t stop it.

Of course, a lot of the time, you need the right personnel to execute your skills and put away attacking moves.

"If I could pick any player, it would be Cristiano Ronaldo - a player I still don't have!

"Neymar, in this FIFA and previous years, is insane. And everyone says it, Kylian Mbappe is a player whose skill moves have improves, and offers a lot in the physical department.

"My favourite player right now is Bruno Fernandes - any of the 50 cards he's received over the last year!"