League of Legends Worlds 2023 has come to an end, finally putting any debate as to the game's GOAT to bed.
In a somewhat one-sided final, Korea's T1 triumphed over China's Weibo Gaming, with three arguably game-winning efforts from T1 top laner Zeus proving catalysts for excellent performances across the board. But while Zeus and jungler Oner, support Keria, and ADC Gumayusi will all share in the limelight, the spotlight around this win remains fixed on one player in particular - T1's stalwart mid laner, Faker.
With a historic fourth title to his name, Faker has taken the unassailable pedestal that he already sat upon, and raised it even higher. Winning three titles between 2013-2016, he achieved three world championship titles in a field where few other than his own teammates have ever won more than one. In claiming a fourth, he's widened that gap, to become the most successful Worlds player of all time.
What makes Faker's ongoing successes so impressive, however, is not necessarily the number of wins he's claimed, but the timeframe over which he's claimed them. Having burst onto the scene in 2013 and won two more titles in 2015 and 2016, his legacy was in little doubt, but the relative low points that came after might have eventually spelled the end of the road for many players. Indeed, most of those who shared in Faker's successes are no longer playing professionally. But T1's icon has continued to play at the highest level for years, claiming domestic and international titles, and falling agonisingly short of another Worlds title on two occasions.
It's a longevity that's almost unheard of in esports, a field in which, not that long ago, players were thought to be entirely washed up by 25. Faker isn't the only one bucking that trend - across the world, veteran players are still performing well on the domestic scene, but none of them have seen the same kind of continual international success that Faker has.
Having announced in a post-game interview that he has no plans to retire, there's every chance that Faker will continue to succeed at that level. But, as if it were ever in doubt, his historic fourth Worlds title has firmly cemented his legacy - before today, it seemed unlikely that anyone would come near his record. Now, it seems impossible.
