Faker, the undisputed League of Legends GOAT, has signed with T1 through 2029 and plans to compete for at least four more years. He’s still got some fight left in him.
If you’ve heard of League of Legends, Faker is a man who needs no introduction. He’s the face of the game at this point. The value of Riot’s company probably goes up every single time he makes it to a World Championship, and he’s been to 9 World Finals, winning 5 of them.
Though there are worries about what League of Legends will look like at the point that Faker retires, fans of LoL esports won’t have to worry about it for a while.
T1 have announced that they’ve secured Faker through 2029, with his contract ending just ahead of the 2030 competitive season.
Faker’s sticking with T1 until the next decade
Through all of the uncertainty in the esports space when it comes to the survival of pro leagues, Faker has been the one pushing the game forward and setting record-breaking viewership numbers.
Worlds 2024 was the most watched esports event of all time, and Worlds 2023 was the most watched before that. Both World Finals are matches he won. Faker really is that popular.
The mix of his longevity as a player and his ability to show up in top form at every single international leaves viewers on the edge of their seat.
Faker has had some issues in the past with keeping his wrist healthy, however. His biggest obstacle as a player may be his own body giving out on him before he wants to quit, though he’s been trying to find a healthier training routine that gives him time to rest and recover properly.
That leaves the question, though: Is Faker the oldest esports GOAT? Will he be the oldest at the point he retires? Surprisingly, the answer is likely no.
There’s one man in esports who’s still winning international titles despite being 40 years old, and that’s Tekken legend Knee.
Also hailing from South Korea, Knee has been competing since the early 2000s and just won his fourth Evo title this year. Fighting games tend to skew older than other esports in terms of player longevity, but age truly does not matter as long as you stay limber enough to keep up with others mechanically.
And that’s without mentioning someone like Counter-Strike pro Karrigan who’s still proving himself on the international stage at the age of 35.
There’s real proof out there that people who take proper care of themselves can still be at the top of the esports world even into their 30s and 40s. Whether or not Faker’s able to make his career last that long remains to be seen.
