Dan “apEX” Madesclaire capped off an extraordinary 2025 season on Sunday as Team Vitality won the StarLadder Budapest Major, securing the organization’s third Major title and the fourth of apEX’s career. At 32 years old, the French in-game leader also became the oldest player ever to lift a Counter-Strike Major trophy.
But beyond the trophy itself, apEX revealed something new after the final, he is already in talks with Vitality about extending his career.
“I want to play one or two additional years, that’s for sure,” apEX said. “We’re in discussions with Vitality about adding one or two more years.”
Open to extending his career after historic Major win
Speaking to L’Équipe, apEX addressed the frequent questions surrounding his future in Counter-Strike. Despite the physical and mental strain of the season, the Major win has not pushed him toward retirement.
“I won’t play for another five years,” he explained. “But one or two more years, yes. After that, we’ll see how the motivation is.”
apEX was also candid about how demanding 2025 has been, particularly in his role as in-game leader of the most dominant team in Counter-Strike.
“This year exhausted me,” he said. “I changed things compared to 2024, and it destroyed me. I prepare every match, I do much more tactical work than before. It’s two to three extra hours of preparation every day, on top of individual practice. That’s a lot of work and a lot of fatigue.”
A different Major, but the same Vitality dominance
Vitality’s Budapest triumph came just six months after their previous Major win, but apEX emphasized that the second half of 2025 was far more challenging.
“The second part of 2025 wasn’t the same as the first,” he said. “It’s hard to redo what we did earlier, winning seven tournaments in a row, a Major, and a Grand Slam. But the emotion is incredible. We fought for this one as well.”
Despite entering the playoffs with slightly lower expectations, apEX felt Vitality still proved why they defined the year.
“In 2025, it’s impossible not to count on Vitality to win trophies,” he added. “We played at an incredible level, and I’m really happy.”
Respect for karrigan and an eye on 2026
The final also featured a high-profile in-game leader duel with Finn “karrigan” Andersen, whom apEX described as the greatest IGL he has faced.
“For me, he’s the legend of in-game leaders,” apEX said. “I have huge respect for him, and I hope we can play each other again soon.”
As for the future, apEX believes Vitality’s biggest threat in 2026 may come from within.
“The only thing that can stop us is ourselves,” he said. “It depends on how much we want it. I’ll keep pushing the guys so we can try to win as much as possible next year.”
For now, Vitality will finally take a short break before setting new goals.
“We need to rest a bit,” apEX concluded. “Then we have to rewrite our story for next season. Maybe even a second Grand Slam, which has never been done. But one step at a time.”
