In League of Legends, players are preparing for the new season. The two top mid laners in the USA are planning their future: While the 24-year-old Bjergsen is ending his active LoL career, the 25-year-old Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen is reportedly receiving a record deal that will allow him to play for another 3 years and net him $4.2 million.
Update 6.11.: Team Liquid has now officially announced that they have given Jensen a 3-year contract (via twitter). The amount is not known, but the $4.2 million mentioned by Travis Gafford is still on the table.
Original report from 28.10.:
What type of contract is this? As Travis Gafford reports, Team Liquid has given their star mid laner Jensen a new 3-year contract that should bring him a total of $4.2 million. Gafford cites “sources.”
It is assumed that Jensen will become the highest-paid LoL player of all time in the USA. Such salaries over $1 million are also considered rare in the lucrative e-sports of LoL. The record deals that have been rumored have gone to mercenaries from South Korea, who made a fortune in the USA after not performing well enough in the LCK:
- The top laner Impact (25) is said to have received $3.4 million for three years – Impact has already bought a nice retirement package with his money
- Top laner Huni (22) is said to earn $2.3 million for 2 years
Team Liquid is reportedly planning to sign a new top laner from Europe: The Brit Alphari (21) is said to replace the veteran Impact (25) on the top lane. Impact is said to have earned about one million US dollars a year, while Alphari is expected to be a bit more expensive (via espn).
It is said that Team Liquid is also bringing in Alphari at Jensen’s request.
2 Danes dominate the US Midlane
The special thing about the contract: For years, there were two major mid laners in the USA:
- Bjergsen is a 24-year-old Dane. He played for Team Solo Mid.
- Jensen is a 25-year-old Dane. He played for Cloud 9 for a long time and now for Team Liquid.
There was actually only the debate about who of the two is the best mid laner in the USA. But now the paths are diverging: While Bjergsen is ending his active career at 24 and becoming a coach, Jensen signs a 3-year contract and wants to play until 28.
This is unusual because LoL players over 23 are already considered “veterans and relatively old.” There are few who play longer than 25. As players age, their reaction times decline, which is crucial in e-sports.
In Asia, teenagers are constantly pushing into the league, competing with veterans for the few spots on a team.
Even Faker (24), the greatest LoL player of all time, ended up on the bench in 2020 because he was replaced by the rookie Clozer (17).
LoL – No Lane for Old Men
In international comparison, Jensen is considered quite old at 25.
The current stars in the mid lane at the LoL Worlds 2020 are all 19 or 20. This is evident when you look at the mid laners of the 4 semifinalists:
- Angel, the mid laner from Suning, is 19 years old.
- Showmaker, the mid laner from DAMWON Gaming, is 20 years old.
- Knight, the mid laner from Top Esports, is also only 20.
- Even Caps, the mid laner from G2 Esports, is only 20, even though he has been known for so long.
That Team Liquid is pinning their hopes on a player who is already 25 seems typical for the current league in the US LoL, as explained by world champion Doinb.
In the USA, they rely on relatively older players who have built a big name among fans. They then become the stars in the national league LCS, but internationally at the Worlds, they are regularly shown their limitations. Since the “older players” occupy the spots, there is a lack of young talent: this puts pressure on the performance of the teams.
In international comparisons, teams from Asia dominate, with new rookies entering each year and making a name for themselves.
Team Liquid was eliminated in 2020 with Jensen in the mid lane in the group stage. Now Team Liquid is building their future around Jensen.
It seems completely absurd to outsiders that players at 22 or 23 end their careers in LoL because they are too old. But LoL demands a lot from players when they have played at a high level for several years.
The mid laner PawN is considered one of the best LoL players of all time, but he simply could no longer play at 22. The pressure was too great. PawN developed a compulsion and became obsessed with getting his setup just right:
LoL world champion (22) talks about the obsession that ended his career
