The professional Counter-Strike scene is highly dynamic and rapidly evolving. Clubs and players themselves have come close to traditional sports like football. In this article, we will draw parallels between pro CS2 players and well-known footballers.
We paid absolutely no attention to the players' physical resemblance, only focusing on their moral qualities and careers. Undoubtedly, such parallels can be drawn with almost any representatives of these disciplines, but we decided to choose the five most outstanding professionals in CS:GO.
Freddie "KRiMZ" Johansson and Francesco Totti
Undoubtedly, Totti is an icon for Italy and world football. Like a true "Emperor," Francesco remained loyal to his team, Roma. He spent over 25 years with the club. Despite the incredible contracts offered by various global giants year after year, Totti refused them all. During his career at Roma, Totti scored 307 goals and played 786 matches, setting absolute records for the club.
Similar to Totti and Roma, KRiMZ and Fnatic form a tandem in CS2. For 2759 days now, the Swedish esports athlete has continuously represented his native club. KRiMZ has been with Fnatic for a total of 3536 days, playing for GODSENT in between his two stints with the organisation following an ill-fated Swedish. Freddie has experienced both the highs and lows with Fnatic. Despite the setbacks in recent years, KRiMZ remains loyal to the club and its fans.
Marcelo "coldzera" David and Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho is a true football maestro, and there's no arguing with that. He had a brilliant career, which unexpectedly faded slowly. During his time playing at the highest level of football, Ronaldinho won the World Cup, the Champions League, and the Ballon d'Or. After his European journey, he returned to his homeland, where he ended his football career.
As for coldzera, his time with Luminosity Gaming, SK Gaming, and MIBR can be compared to Ronaldinho's successes with the Brazilian national team. His European career segment is less successful than his football counterpart's, but like Ronaldinho, he also returned to his homeland to finish his last seasons.
Daniil "donk" Kryshkovets and Neymar Jr
Donk career has only just begun, so it's difficult to fully compare him to Neymar, but we'll only focus on the beginning of the footballer's career. Neymar gained incredible popularity while still playing in Brazil and at the age of 21, moved to Barcelona, with which he won all possible tournaments. Let's stop there and move on to donk.
Like Neymar, Daniil gained global fame early in his CS pro player career. He demonstrates extraordinary statistical indicators and almost single-handedly won one of the most prestigious tournaments in the discipline — IEM Katowice 2024. Now, all that remains is to join one of the world's top clubs, win a Major and IEM Cologne. And then the pursuit of money and ending his career in Team Falcons…
Olexander "s1mple" Kostyljev and Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is an example of how one can achieve literally anything with blood, sweat, and tears in this life. A boy from a poor Portuguese family made a name for himself in football and provided for his relatives. He was successful in every club he played for. Throughout his career, Cristiano Ronaldo has become a five-time UEFA Champions League winner, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, and a European champion with the Portuguese national team. At the time of this publication, at the age of 39, he is finishing his career with Al-Nassr in the Saudi Arabian league.
Drawing parallels between s1mple and Cristiano Ronaldo's careers is quite easy. Olexander has also made his way through thorns to stars. Over 11 years of his career, he has won all possible tournaments in Counter-Strike and has been recognized as the best player in CS:GO history. Additionally, s1mple has the largest media following in CS. Currently, Olexander is taking a break from competitions, and his short stint with Falcons can be compared to Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Al-Nassr. What lies ahead for s1mple's career? Only s1mple knows.
Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut and Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi was gifted with talent from birth. At a young age, he joined Barcelona's academy, and from there, he made it to the club's main squad. Throughout his career, Messi achieved everything one could wish for: a World Cup winner, a South American champion, an Olympic champion, a Champions League winner, an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, and much more. He is now finishing his career in the USA with Inter Miami.
Similarly to Messi, ZywOo quickly made his way to the tier-1 CS:GO scene by joining Team Vitality. In his very first full season, the French sniper was recognized as the best player of the year. Mathieu performs at the highest level with incredible ease, which is impressive. He has already won numerous major championships, and his entire career is still ahead of him. His main opponent on the server is s1mple, just as Ronaldo is to Messi. However, while the footballers' careers are coming to an end and their rivalry is over, ZywOo and s1mple have at least 3-4 more years ahead of them.
On this positive note, we will conclude. Which CS2 players do you know who are similar to famous footballers? Share your thoughts in the comments to this article.
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