Gumayusi Implicitly Confirms Faker as a Goal to Surpass
After the conclusion of the 2025 KeSPA Cup, which was won by T1 against HLE, a team boasting two former stars of the reigning World Championship champions, Zeus and Gumayusi, there has been considerable discussion and speculation surrounding the relationship between the two teams. At this time, Gumayusi also shared insights about his departure, including a statement that implicitly suggested a desire to match, if not surpass, Faker.
Accordingly, Gumayusi stated: “If I want to be the best, I can’t stay in this organization forever.” Notably, prior to this, Gumayusi was always associated with the statement, “T1 is where the best players belong.” Thus, within just over a year, Gumayusi’s mindset has undergone significant changes.
However, according to some fans, if combined with a statement from Gumayusi during the LCK Awards 2024, his remarks do carry a certain logic. Specifically, after winning the World Championship for the second consecutive time with T1, Gumayusi set Faker as a target, expressing his goal to “win the World Championship five times like Faker.” Of course, if he stays on the same team, it would be impossible for Gumayusi to match the number of titles held by his close senior.
Matching Faker’s Achievements is Extremely Difficult
Let’s not even talk about the influence; just being able to match Faker’s number of LCK or MSI titles is already very challenging, let alone the World Championship titles. Moreover, the desire to stand alongside Faker will also create pressure on the players from the expectations of fans. Throughout history, many players have been expected to achieve such goals, and almost no one has succeeded.
Gumayusi is a resilient player, known for his ability to “deliver on promises.” However, with the self-imposed challenge he has set for himself, it is hard to say whether the 2002-born player can achieve this. But clearly, the courage to “dare” to leave the comfort zone of T1 to seek further development demonstrates a certain bravery of the 2025 World Championship FMVP.