5 Best CS2 (CS:GO) Pros Who Left the E-sports Scene

Counter-Strike isn’t just a game. From the release of CS 1.6 to the modern CS2, this franchise has attracted millions of users with its peculiar mix of fast-paced combat and strategy. And, as with other popular games, the most skilled players were able to turn their hobby into a full-fledged career.

And yet, even those professional gamers are not immune to time, and lots of them have retired due to disagreements with team managers, losing popularity, and many others. Health and stress-related issues are another common cause for pro players to leave the scene. Usually, the best retired CS pro players become broadcast analysts or coaches, while the rest just disappear entirely from the public's eye. And often, such gamers become underrated CS2 pro players who never have time to reach their potential.

But, today, we will talk about the legends that arose within the Counter-Strike community during its long lifespan. Here, you’ll discover the top 5 pro CS players who left professional cybersports after reaching significant results in CS:GO or other games of the franchise.

ScreaM

ScreaM aka Adil Benrlitom is one of the most popular retired CS legends. This 29-year-old professional player from Belgia started his career in Counter-Strike: Source. The man is the older brother of Nabil "Nivera" Benrlitom — another big name among the best ex-Counter-Strike pro players.

The young gamer reached his peak after the transition to G2 in 2016. While playing for this team he was recognized as the most valuable player of the ECS Season 1 Finals. During this event, Adil achieved impressive statistics, including 0.88 KPR and 90.3 ADR, and was among the top CS2 world ranking players. Usually, he took the role of the rifler during professional matches.

ScreaM played for several different teams, including VeryGames, Titan, Epsilon eSports, and G2 Esports. He finished his career as one of GamerLegion's professionals in 2020 to continue competing against other players in Valorant. Due to his impressive aiming skill, there is no wonder that Adil adored playing as an entry fragger. His accuracy even granted ScreaM his unofficial nickname “Headshot Machine.”

Maniac

Although Mathieu Quiquerez is one of the best former pros in CS, he still appears on the professional Counter-Strike scene as a coach, analyst, and commentator. Although he can't be considered one of the best CS coaches, he does a much better job as an analyst and commentator. The interesting fact about this 33-year-old player from Switzerland is that he had been playing in pro matches with inverted mouse settings for most of his career. Maniac had played for Team LDLC, Millenium, Rogue, Unity, and Titan, before retiring from the game in 2018.

Talking about his impact on LDLC’s popularity, it’s impossible not to mention his amazing match against NiP at EMS One Katowice 2014. During one of the deciding rounds, Maniac eliminated the whole enemy team single-handedly. As well as many other influential players, Quiquerez often took the role of the rifler, providing his team with enough space for different maneuvers.

Unfortunately, Mathieu didn’t explain why he decided to finish his career. His Twitter account (currently, X) states that he simply decided to take a new path and expressed gratitude to his favorite game. Currently, Maniac still has a great influence on the CS community as he regularly broadcasts streams on Twitch.

Fifflaren

He’s one of the greatest retired CS pro players known and revered by all old-school Counter-Strike fans. Robin Johansson is a 36-year-old gamer from Switzerland, well-renowned as one of the most successful members of the legendary Ninjas in Pyjamas. Fifflaren’s exceptional skills significantly contributed to the establishment of the team’s record-breaking 87-0 map win streak. Flifflaren also made significant contributions to the NiP’s victory at ESL One Cologne 2014.

Considering these amazing achievements, it’s no wonder that Johansson managed to earn nearly $125k while working as a full-time CS player. It might seem like not such a big deal, but remember, Robin finished his career in 2014. Although this decision shocked many fans of this famous AWPer, it was still predictable. By the end of 2014, Fifflaren had the lowest rating among the team members of NiP, and his skills had deteriorated enough that the man decided to leave while still ahead. If he were still playing today, he would be one of the oldest CS2 pro players on the pro scene.

Pimp

Jacob Winneche’s career and his results surely make him one of the best CS players who stopped playing. This 28-year-old gamer from Denmark appeared on the pro scene as a member of different teams, including Dignitas, CPH Wolves, SK, and Team Liquid.

He’s the player who knew how to establish total dominance on the battlefield. According to the statistics, Pimp made nearly 18,075 kills while playing on the pro scene. In addition, he provided us with tons of jaw-dropping highlights.  Considering Jacob’s incredible aiming skill and almost superhuman reaction, there is no wonder he usually played as an entry fragger. In this role he had reached quite impressive stats, including 0.72 KPR and 78.2 DPR.

Despite great results, Pimp decided to retire in 2017, informing his fans that he decided to become a full-time CS streamer instead. Now, Pimp creates digital content for esports organization 00 Nation, and he's one of the best CS2 streamers today.

shroud

Finally, the last but definitely not least professional from our list of the best CS players who left the game. Michael Grzesiek is mainly known for his contribution to the success of Cloud9. Even now, shroud is considered to be one of the best supporters in the history of this team.

Many fans might not know that Michael’s original nickname was “eclipse.” However, when he discovered that it’d been taken, Grzesiek changed it to “shroud,” which was the first synonym of “eclipse” that was not taken by other players.

In 2017 shroud announced his retirement, becoming one of the best CS pros who left the esports scene. The young man decided to opt for streaming, and he was going strong ever since. Today, his streams average at an impressive 40k viewers. His retirement at a fairly early age makes him probably the youngest CS2 pro player to stop playing the game.

Conclusion

The era of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has seen its fair share of impressive talents, and many of them have since become top retired CS players. Nonetheless, their legacy continues to exist in the memory of the game’s community. Besides, it’s too early to throw a farewell party, as most of these pros regularly appear on streams and as commentators during tournaments.

Watching them play and listening to their interviews is a great chance to improve your own gaming skills. And, of course, we all expect to see new talents to impress us with tactics, Major wins, and other achievements on the pro scene in CS2.