Smooya’s CS:GO comeback journey and why he rejected lucrative Valorant offers for passion
Career Crossroads: Benching and Future Prospects
Following his unexpected benching by Movistar Riders, professional CS:GO player Smooya remains determined to establish his legacy in Valve’s iconic shooter, despite growing speculation about a potential move to Valorant.
British AWPer Owen ‘Smooya’ Butterfield has declined substantial financial opportunities in Valorant, choosing instead to pursue competitive excellence in CS:GO where his true passion lies.
The talented sniper’s professional trajectory faces uncertainty after Movistar Riders moved him to their substitute roster, a development initially broken by Dexerto and formally announced by the Spanish organization on August 12. During his eight-month tenure, Smooya’s individual performance showed marked improvement, though team results failed to reach expected heights, prompting the organization to rebuild with an exclusively Spanish lineup during the offseason. Despite the timing complications—learning of his benching just one day before roster locks—Smooya expresses understanding rather than resentment toward the organization’s strategic decision. 
“The notification arrived on August 9th, literally twenty-four hours before roster deadlines,” he explained to Dexerto. “Certainly not ideal timing for securing new opportunities. From their operational standpoint, it represents shrewd business planning since they anticipated my probable departure upon contract conclusion regardless. Their strategy to cultivate a strong domestic roster—something they’ve lacked for an extended period—makes complete organizational sense. Given identical circumstances, I would have implemented the same approach. I genuinely wish them success and will continue supporting their progress.”
Valorant Temptation: Rejecting Financial Security
Despite current teamlessness, Smooya emphasizes maintaining competitive readiness, determined not to relinquish the elite form he’s demonstrated throughout the past half-year. His interim strategy involves intensive streaming and Faceit Pro League participation while awaiting contract resolution in coming months. The transition to Riot Games’ Valorant has provided fresh starts for numerous dissatisfied Counter-Strike professionals, with Smooya frequently mentioned as a potential convert. However, the 21-year-old marksman remains committed to CS:GO, having declined multiple financially compelling proposals from organizations seeking his transition to the competing FPS title. “My ambition involves establishing enduring legacy status within esports,” he states. “That conviction explains my resistance to Valorant migration. I received concrete offers quintupling—even sextupling—my Movistar compensation. Financial incentive alone cannot override genuine passion; while appropriate remuneration matters, nobody should work gratuitously, my fundamental devotion belongs to Counter-Strike, not VALORANT. That remains my anchoring principle.”
Riot GamesNumerous elite CSGO competitors have already transitioned to Valorant’s competitive landscape.
Reputation Rehabilitation: Overcoming Past Perceptions
Smooya gained prominence during his stint with German organization BIG, contributing significantly to their ESL One Cologne 2018 finals appearance and FACEIT Major quarterfinals achievement later that year. While excelling for subsequent teams post-BIG, access to tier-one opportunities remains challenging. The British sniper expresses frustration that historical perceptions continue impacting his career prospects, arguing that evaluation should reflect his substantial personal development rather than behavior from earlier years. “People need perspective realization—I was eighteen years old then, approaching twenty-two currently,” he noted. “I’m not presenting myself as paragon of virtue or claiming impeccable character. However, maintaining accountability for adolescent actions witnessed online four years prior seems unreasonable, especially when critics lack personal acquaintance. Statistically, if you randomly select ten individuals, approximately eighty percent would feel discomfort interacting with their younger selves. That earlier version isn’t who I aspire to be, yet digital permanence means constant reminders of past behaviors as if they represent current reality. The misconception that toxic behavior and practice disengagement can coexist with 1.25 rating sustained over twenty-four months is statistically implausible. Only three players—sh1ro, ZywOo and s1mple—have surpassed my performance metrics across the past two years. I cannot identify any professional athlete across traditional sports whose moderately problematic youthful conduct created such prolonged career obstruction.”
DreamhackALEX has joined Fnatic alongside mezii.
Strategic Comeback: Fnatic Speculation and Future Plans
Fnatic emerges as plausible destination for Smooya following their roster reconstruction featuring British talents Alex ‘ALEX’ McMeekin, William ‘mezii’ Merriman, and coach Jamie ‘keita’ Hall. His inclusion would substantially strengthen their AWP capabilities—historically problematic for the organization—though the aspiring professional avoids speculation about specific team preferences. “Realistically, I lack positional leverage for team preference declarations,” he explains. “I’ve exhausted available opportunities, participating with every organization willing to accept me. Across all scenarios, I’ve delivered exceptional performance exceeding expectations. Every team I’ve joined demonstrated significant improvement post-acquisition. Historical attitude concerns represented the sole limitation. While not professing perfection, current priorities center exclusively on achieving elite competitive success. Like all accomplished competitors, I possess confidence, yet remain willing to subordinate ego for victory. I guarantee maximum dedication, ensuring that once established within CS:GO’s upper competitive echelons, my presence becomes permanent.”
Professional Development Insight: Successful esports career transitions require balancing statistical performance with reputation management. Players facing similar challenges should focus on consistent high-level performance, maintain professional conduct during roster changes, and strategically communicate personal growth to overcome historical perceptions.
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