Recently, after the victory against Nongshim RedForce, in the post-match press conference, Faker shared about his injury. Specifically, since the match against OK BRION (OKBRO), Faker has felt unwell, particularly in his hand. Following that, he and T1 conducted tests and discovered that Faker had sustained an injury. The captain of T1 also admitted that this has affected his performance and displays in recent times.
In fact, Faker is known as a player with high-level plays and extremely fast hand movements, continuously for long periods. Some players have even admitted that Faker’s speed and handling are too fast. Only later, as he has aged, have these plays begun to slow down. Fans also acknowledge that when trying to mimic Faker’s hand movements, they can barely keep up for a short time. Thus, Faker maintaining such a long playing career is truly a miracle and effort from the T1 legend.
With this newly discovered injury, some fans have thought that the farewell day for player Faker is drawing near. Since 2020, T1 and even the LCK have been searching for new names capable of succeeding Faker. However, even within T1 or the LCK, there has not been a name that can maintain a long-term performance and absolute professionalism like Faker. Recently, only Chovy has shown that he is continuously improving. But up to now, Chovy has yet to achieve any World Championship titles.
For T1, replacing Faker is much more difficult. None of their young players have the skills to replace Faker. In terms of influence, Gumayusi is showing very high potential. However, the T1 marksman needs to strive more and act more professionally, especially in his statements, to prove that he can truly be the future leader of T1.
At nearly 27 years old, Faker is aware that his time is limited. The farewell day will inevitably come, but Faker will certainly not give up and will continue to fight. His burning desire to conquer titles still remains, along with the regrets from many near misses throughout the years.