On Sunday, William “mezii” Merriman made history as the first Brit to ever win a Counter-Strike Major, when Vitality lifted the trophy at the BLAST.tv Austin Major.
The title capped off a remarkable season for the 26-year-old rifler and his team, firmly cementing Vitality’s status as the best team in the world.
Following the win in Texas, mezii was invited on BBC — one of the UK’s largest radio networks — to reflect on their Major run and what it means to become the first British player to achieve the feat.
– It was crazy. For me and flameZ, it was our first Major win. For some of the guys it was their second, and for apEX it was his third. There’s been so much sacrifice and hard work throughout the year to come down to now and to go up and lift that trophy as well, mezii said.
– It was probably one of the heaviest trophies, I think, at least in Counter-Strike history. I think they definitely made a point there with how big the trophy was. It’s a moment that I’ll always cherish.
[post_preview url="https://pley.gg/mezii-as-a-uk-player-winning-the-major-is-incredible/"]Inspiration for his countrymen
After some time outside top-tier Counter-Strike, mezii entered the elite when he was signed by Vitality. One and a half year later and he’s now a Major winner, and the only Brit to ever do it.
In the BBC interview, mezii was also asked what it feels like to now be seen as an inspiration for other British players.
– It’s definitely weird… Throughout my career I’ve always tried to be as open as possible and try and keep any messages open if people ever need advice or any help in anything, I try and respond as much as I can.
– Help the UK scene grow, I think that’s the main thing for me. It’s a big goal for me: just try and help the UK grow within esports and within Counter-Strike. And just try and see more players and more teams at the highest level, because I think that would be amazing. And hopefully, not take the crown off me just yet — maybe after I retire — but I think it would be great to have more UK players coming through the scene.
Watch it here
You can watch the full BBC segment with mezii below.
