All systems (CS:)GO! 5 of CS:GO’s all-time best!
Chances are that if you asked people to name an FPS game or popular esports discipline, then they’d say CS:GO faster than you can say you’re from England, America!
Since its release back in 2012, Counter Strike:Global Offensive has taken the gaming world by storm, becoming one of the most-recognised FPS titles of all time. What’s more, it’s also morphed into a genuine esports behemoth complete with star-studded tournaments that feature eye-wateringly huge prize funds!
So, with this year’s ESL Pro League hurtling towards us at the speed of light, we thought what better time than the present to take a look at 5 of the best CS:GO players of all time.
Contents:
- Robin “flusha” Rönnquist
- Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut
- Nicolai ‘dev1ce’ Reedtz
- Peter "dupreeh" Rasmussen
- Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev
Robin “flusha” Rönnquist
We kick things off this week by taking a trip back to the mid-2010s with this week’s first CS:GO’s great, Robin “flusha” Rönnquist, who was an integral part of Fnatic’s dominance of this discipline between 2014-16.
Whilst the entire Fnatic roster was outgunning (see what we did there) the competition on a consistent basis, flusha’s performances back then were something else. Whether it was his trademark wallbangs or seemingly impossible kills through smokes, the Swede was one of the deadliest riflemen around, with many thinking he was so good that he must have been cheating.
Although his career did tail off after 2016, he still managed to inspire Fnatic to a shock win over FaZe Clan at IEM Katowice 2018, with flusha being awarded the MVP after scoring two aces on the final map.
Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut
Speaking of MVPs, that might as well be Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut’s middle name as the young Frenchman has been awarded MVP no fewer than 13 times already in what looks set to be an exceptionally promising career in CS:GO.
After showcasing his talents for WySix, as well as aAa, ZywOo thrust himself into the big time in October 2018 by signing for Team Vitality and wasted no time in showing the CS:GO world what he was capable of. Herbaut was instrumental in Vitality’s momentous rise, a feat that prompted him to be named the best player in the world in 2019 and 2020.
What does the future hold for this exciting talent? Only time will tell!
Nicolai ‘dev1ce’ Reedtz
Number 3 on this week’s list is none other than “Mr Consistency” himself, Nicolai ‘dev1ce’ Reedtz.
Whilst dev1ce might not be the flashiest AWPer, few players can rival his ability to withstand pressure and deliver when it counts. What’s more, his numbers speak for themselves: 30 international trophies, 19 MVP medals, and a record eight consecutive appearances in HLTV.org’s Top 20, 6 of which were in the top 5.
However, it’s worth noting that he’s never ever been ranked higher than second in the Top 20, even when he racked up 7 MVPs in a year when Astralis swept all before them in 2018.
Peter "dupreeh" Rasmussen
Of course, dev1ce isn’t the only CS:GO legend to have made a name for themselves during Astralis’ golden age as the same can also be said of Peter "dupreeh" Rasmussen.
Although the Dane hasn’t quite managed to hit the dizzy heights of his frankly insane prize money winning streak of 2016-19 recent years, he’s won more accolades and prizes over the course of his 10-year spell in the game than most players can dream of and definitely deserves to be mentioned among the all-time greats.
Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev
We round things off this week with arguably the hottest talent in the world of CS:GO right now, Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev, who Dan ‘apEX’ Madesclaire has described as being able to come back from hell all the time.
Although it took the Ukranian a few years to find his feet in the world of CS:GO, as his earlier career was somewhat marred by controversy, including being banned by ESL for cheating and having spats with his teammates, he has come into his own since joining NAVI back in 2018.
With his uncanny ability to change the outcome of a game in a flash, it’s little wonder that he’s considered to be one of the best to ever grace the game.
What’s more, he’s also been picking up accolades like they’ve been going out of fashion over the last few years, with a record 21 HLTV MVP medals, a Major and an Intel Grand Slam trophy to his name.
As if that’s not enough, he’s already been crowned best player in the world 3 times (2018, 2021 and 2022) and been named second best player in the world twice (2019 and 2020) in the space of 5 years.