They feel at home. When the player and the team are one
Players rarely sign multi-year contracts with organizations. Often, they are limited to a couple of years. This is due to the high competition on the professional scene and the constant need for transfers and changes in the roster so that it continues to be competitive, as well as the difficulty of buying out to a new organization. But there are still several examples on the professional scene when players remain loyal to their club until the end and are on the team for many years. We will talk about such esportsmen in this article.
6th place – Valeriy b1t Vakhovskiy (Natus Vincere)
Days in the team – 1330 (joined in January 2021)
After Oleksandr s1mple Kostyliev went inactive, the main face of Natus Vincere became the academy graduate – Valeriy b1t Vakhovskiy. He was perfect for this role, apart from NAVI, he has never played for other clubs, and he is also noted for his bright performance and is the best player in the team. At the moment, Natus Vincere occupy the first place in the top teams and it is obvious that Valeriy b1t Vakhovskiy is not going to leave his native club and will spend more than one year in it.
5th place – Dzhami Jame Ali (Virtus.pro)
Days in the team – 1728 (joined in December 2019)
It is extremely difficult to imagine Virtus.pro without Dzhami Jame Ali. The player and the team have long been synonymous, but given the latest results, the club may still replace the captain, whose contract lasts until 2027. Analysts do not rule out the possibility that Djami Jame Ali may remain in the team as a coach, but it seems that he is not yet so old to end his playing career.
4th place - Mathieu ZywOo Herbaut and Dan apEX Madesclaire (Team Vitality)
Days in the team – 2164 and 2156 (joined in October 2018)
In 2018, Team Vitality was joined by the young and promising Mathieu ZywOo Herbaut, who in the future will become the main star of the eSports scene and create a whole history for the organization. Now the Frenchman has a long-term contract and under no circumstances will the club replace him, any new roster will be built around Mathieu ZywOo Herbaut. But at the same time, the team was joined by captain Madesclaire, who also greatly influenced its success and became the second face of Team Vitality.
3rd place - Fredrik REZ Sterner (Ninjas in Pyjamas)
Days in the team – 2647 (joined in June 2017)
A long stay in one organization does not always bring success. Fredrik REZ Sterner became part of Ninjas in Pyjamas back in 2017 and is still one of the main stars of the team, but it has not been able to achieve high results, NiP has not even started to perform consistently on the tier-1 stage, when one of the best snipers in the world, Nicolai device Reedtz, played for it for a short time. Ninjas in Pyjamas are in a difficult situation and the club is finding it difficult to assemble a roster that will compete for victories, world stars simply will not join this team. And Fredrik REZ Sterner continues to squander his potential with the once legendary tag.
2nd place – Freddy KRiMZ Johansson (FNATIC)
Days in the team – 2878 (joined in October 2016)
KRiMZ is one of the oldest players on the professional scene, but he still continues to perform consistently individually. The Swede joined FNATIC during its golden era and experienced a lot with the organization, now the club does not have such high results, but Freddy KRiMZ Johansson continues to show excellent statistics at 30 years old, but appears with FNATIC at tier-1 tournaments extremely rarely. However, he is an irreplaceable face of the organization and the brand.
1st place – Håvard rain Nygaard (FaZe Clan)
Days in the team – 3156 (joined in January 2016)
The most loyal player in the esports scene is still Håvard rain Nygaard. He became part of FaZe Clan at the very beginning of the organization and continues to play for it in Counter-Strike today. The Norwegian has survived all possible transfers and has seen many FaZe Clan rosters. Even when he starts to sag in his individual play, the club does not replace Håvard rain Nygaard. He is already 30 years old and it is unknown how much longer his playing career will last, but for now he continues to be an important part of FaZe Clan.
These players do not even think about changing teams and continue to remain loyal to their home club. This does not always lead to high results, but it certainly creates a certain favorable image and connects the team and the esportsman as one whole, such players become the face of the organization and it is difficult to imagine them in another team.