MSL retires from competitive Counter-Strike
The Danish in-game leader and rifler say goodbye to Counter-Strike after more than a decade playing at the top level.
The former Dignitas, North, and OpTic Gaming profile announced his retirement on Twitter.
At 28 years of age, Mathias "MSL" Lauridsen hangs up the mouse after some lackluster years lately, where the former winner of several Dreamhack Open and Masters tournaments has been out of the tier-1 scene. With $350,000 in prize money earnings, MSL has seen his fair share of success. At North he became part of a team that challenged the perhaps greatest CS:GO team in history, as North and Astralis created a fierce rivalry that still to this day is remembered in Counter-Strike. The Grand Final win in Stockholm in 2018 against Astralis at DreamHack Masters was a personal highlight for Mathias "MSL" Lauridsen, who was awarded the MVP award for the tournament.
DreamHack Open Summer 2019, Dreamhack Open Valencia 2018, and Epicenter 2016 are among the tournaments that ended with a trophy lift from MSL and his teammates.
The Dane started his career back in Counter-Strike: Source, and played throughout the entirety of CS:GO before announcing his retirement shortly before the expected release date of Counter-Strike 2. His last team was Sashi Esports.