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m0NESY, MVP
November 13, 2026 | Jacob Olesen

m0NESY is the only esports player on Forbes Russia’s brand list

The Falcons AWPer climbs ten places to 14th among Russia's most valuable athlete brands, one spot above tennis player Andrey Rublev.

The Falcons AWPer climbs ten places to 14th among Russia’s most valuable athlete brands, one spot above tennis player Andrey Rublev.

Fourteenth of 30, up from 24th a year ago. That is where Forbes Russia places Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov in its 2026 ranking of the most valuable personal brands among active Russian athletes, published this week. The Team Falcons AWPer is the only esports player on the list, which is topped by UFC champion Islam Makhachev.

The ranking does not measure income. Forbes describes it as a comparison of how attractive athletes are to advertisers, and it gives no money figure for m0NESY. It started from 318 athletes in 23 sports and scored them on four measures between 1 October 2025 and 1 October 2026:

MeasureWeight
Audience engagement (likes, comments, reposts)40%
Followers on the athlete’s own accounts30%
Mentions on Russian-language social media20%
Mentions in Russian media10%

That weighting explains how a Counter-Strike player ends up ahead of Rublev (15th), goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev (19th) and tennis player Karen Khachanov (22nd). Forbes writes that esports gets fewer mentions in the professional media than chess, but that its fan base and engagement can compete with figure skating, the sport that holds the two places directly above him.

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A Major, an MVP and a new contract

Forbes lists his year as the IEM Cologne Major title, the Major MVP award and five EVP awards. It also mentions “a new, improved contract” with Falcons after Cologne and an ambassador deal with Logitech G that includes his own product line (our translation from Russian).

One line from the entry has been passed around on Reddit: according to Forbes, m0NESY and his teammates managed “what Cristiano Ronaldo could not” by bringing a Saudi team its first Major title.

It is his fourth year in a row on the list, and his highest place so far:

YearPlace
202328th
202417th
202524th
202614th
m0NESY is the only esports player on Forbes Russia’s brand list

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Author

Jacob Olesen

Jacob Olesen has followed the Counter-Strike skin economy for more than 10 years and knows the market inside out, from how prices move to what makes a marketplace worth trusting. Alongside skins, he covers Counter-Strike and the wider esports scene analytically, with a particular focus on the betting and odds markets around it. He plays as well: in corporate Counter-Strike he is often the one calling the shots as in-game leader, and he is a dedicated fantasy player.

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m0NESY is the only esports player on Forbes Russia’s brand list
m0NESY is the only esports player on Forbes Russia’s brand list

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