Prototypes of the Best Players from EURO 2024 with Counter-Strike 2 Players
In any sport, there are always heroes, with each generation learning from the previous one and building their own careers. We often hear young talents being compared to stars of the present and past, but today we’ve decided to make a rather unexpected comparison. As the European Football Championship is currently underway, we thought it would be interesting to compare top players from this tournament with renowned esports players from CS2
Cristiano Ronaldo / Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut
- Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal (Al Nassr)
- Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut – France (Vitality)
Cristiano Ronaldo’s role in modern football is one of the most influential in the history of the game, and in CS, there’s a similar player – Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev. However, one of the best players in Counter-Strike history has been on a “pause” and off the professional radar for almost a year now. Therefore, we compared Ronaldo with s1mple’s direct competitor – the French sniper Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut. It’s hard to imagine Vitality without its sniper; the entire team’s play revolves around him, and he has always been the main hope of his team. If ZywOo is not performing well, winning is out of the question. The same can be said about the Portuguese national team and Ronaldo. Both athletes undoubtedly have high-quality teammates, but the task of deciding the outcome often falls on Ronaldo and ZywOo’s shoulders. Their numerous individual awards speak for themselves, leaving skeptics shrugging their shoulders at the end of each season for several years.
The characters of these players are quite different; the Frenchman is undoubtedly calmer and almost emotionless. Despite the significant age difference (more than 10 years), we are confident that the Frenchman’s professionalism will help him play CS at a high level for a long time.
Lamine Yamal / Danil "donk" Kryshkovets
- Lamine Yamal – Spain (Barcelona)
- Danil “donk” Kryshkovets – Russia (Team Spirit)
Here we touch on two true wunderkinds of their time. Yamal, a product of Barcelona’s youth academy, was called up to the Spanish national team for the European Championship at just 16 years old. Moreover, he doesn’t just sit on the bench as young players often do, but starts in the lineup. The winger is one of the most talked-about young players, and his transfer value has already surpassed a hundred million dollars.
A similar fate awaits the Russian esports player. Before joining the main Team Spirit roster, he spent a couple of years in the academy of the same organization and was promoted to the first team in the summer of 2023. Donk’s talent has been discussed for over a year, and few believed the young player could maintain his stats against tier-1 teams. However, over the past year, he and his team managed not only to win a few major tournaments but also to climb to the top of the HLTV world ranking. Danil played a key role in this success and has the best KDA in the world. The only difference between these two athletes is perhaps the presence of titles and individual awards, but it seems slightly more challenging to earn awards in football. In any case, making such a statement at such a young age is rare, and such talents appear on the community’s radar infrequently.
The main task for these guys is to maintain their skill, continue to work hard, improve, and avoid becoming arrogant. We are confident in both, as they are in good organizations that know how to develop their talent and direct their efforts in the right direction.
Harry Kane / İsmailсan "XANTARES" Dörtkardeş
- Harry Kane – England (Bayern München)
- İsmailсan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş – Turkey (Eternal Fire)
This comparison might seem quite unexpected to some, but we will try to dispel your doubts. Both players are incredibly strong individually and make a colossal impact on their teams’ success. Harry Kane consistently scores over 20 goals per season and is rightly considered a real nightmare for every goalkeeper. He shoots well with both feet, is excellent in the air, has a significant height advantage, and can play any attacking role. Whether it’s as a false nine, target man, poacher, or any other role, Kane can do it all.
The same is true for the Turkish esports player. At one time, everyone on Faceit feared this player, and in honor of his aggressive and effective playstyle, the term “xantarespeek” was coined. XANTARES’s individual play is noted by everyone, and he can easily perform any role and use any weapon. However, the main tragedy for both players is the lack of significant trophies. It feels like a curse prevents them from achieving major victories. Some analysts and specialists blame their poor performances against strong opponents for this. Despite being key elements of their teams, they often “disappear” in crucial matches. Both players are also quite old and will likely end their careers without a major trophy.
Kevin De Bruyne / Nicolai "device" Reedtz
- Kevin De Bruyne – Belgium (Manchester City)
- Nicolai “device” Reedtz – Denmark (Astralis)
“Wizard-workers” is how these players can be characterized. Kevin De Bruyne has one of the highest football IQs at EURO 2024. The Belgian national team player has an excellent vision of the field, can deliver accurate passes of any difficulty, and orchestrates his team’s play. Despite all this, he is quite modest and does not elevate himself to superstar status. He proves everything on the football field with his incredibly high-quality play, where he is not interested in showing off. Consistency is his main quality, and it’s hard to recall a bad season from the Manchester City star. Even if there were such seasons, he never lost his effectiveness and quality.
Similar conclusions can be drawn about Nicolai Reedtz. The Dane never tried to stand out among others, although his number of individual awards seems to say otherwise. As with the Astralis sniper, he received MVP titles for his invaluable contribution to the game and professional approach. Many young snipers say that if you want to learn something in the game, watch dev1ce’s demos. Nicolai’s academic Counter-Strike strongly resembles Kevin De Bruyne’s “correct” play, who will not take a risky dribble but will always prefer to play reliably and usefully for his team. Both players are absolute team athletes and do not intend to hog the spotlight.
Looking at their list of trophies, it’s safe to say that both have already “beaten the game” and could hang up their boots/mouse with pride. However, despite their age, they continue to show quality play and, as captains, try to lead their teams to tournament victories.
Ilkay Gundogan / Finn "karrigan" Andersen
- Ilkay Gundogan – Germany (Manchester City)
- Finn “karrigan” Andersen – Denmark (FaZe Clan)
Currently, these players are captains, and their performances are no longer as bright as in the early stages of their careers. However, their contributions to their teams’ successes are undeniable. The playing style of these athletes is quite similar, where they must first think about disrupting opponents’ attacks while simultaneously finding ways to break their defense. Ilkay Gundogan is likely close to ending his career and may be playing his last European Championship for the German national team. Finn Andersen is also not young and will probably retire in a year or two. Over their careers, these athletes have won almost every possible trophy and can retire with their heads held high. It seems each of them will achieve significant success in coaching, so even after retirement, we won’t be saying goodbye to them.