Maniac retires from competitive CSGO

French legend, Maniac has announced his retirement from competitive Counter-Strike. The player who left his job for a career in esports a few years ago has decided to quit CounterStrike. He was in Team LDLC in the past few months and has been a part of several successful French teams in the past. Today I close a chapter of my life by officially retiring as a CS:GO professional player.

This has been a very emotional and well thought decision but I feel at peace with it now.

First of all I want to thank LDLC and my teammates for these last 15 months.

It was and has always been a pleasure representing this organisation, playing with you guys <3. About 18 years ago I played CS Beta 6.5 for the first time at my cousin’s.

I went to my first LAN event when I was 13 carrying my 250 kilos CRT monitor.

Little did I know what this game would bring to my life.

It is difficult for me to explain how much esport gave me, but I want to try. Thanks to CS, I have learned english and german.

Thanks to CS, I have travelled the world. I’ve seen whole Europe, North America and even Dubai. I’ve set foot in places I would

have never visited otherwise and lived incredible experiences that will forever be engraved in my memory.

Thanks to CS, I have met extraordinary people. Would it be as a player, as an analyst or as a coach. I’ve come across people

who have inspired me to be a better person each and every day. Some of these people I am glad to consider my friends, maybe even my family.

Thanks to CS, I have felt some of the strongest emotions in my life to this day; from the disappointment of heartbreaking losses to the hypnotizing thrill

of winning on the stage, jumping from my chair to embrace my teammates. This journey was a cognitive challenge just as much as an emotional one. Most importantly, thanks to CS, I have grown as a person. I have learned to question myself continually, to experience failure and to bounce back,

to set expectations and work hard for it. I have learned to be responsible when teammates, organisations and fans count on you.

I have learned to cooperate with people, handle conflicts and motivate my teammates.

I believe these skills extend way beyond gaming and will help me for the rest of my life. I will be forever grateful for the opportunities that were given to me.

Becoming a professional player was a dream come true. I’ve invested alot of time in gaming but it gave back to me tenfolds.

I wish I could thank every single person who’s had a positive impact on me along the way.

To all of you, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU <3. To those I leave behind, I hope you enjoy the ride just as much as I did.

I hope you make the most out of what I would describe as a once in a life time experience.

I will miss it for sure… 🙂 Yours sincerely,

Mathieu ‘Maniac’ Quiquerez