Alexey “Qikert” Golubev says he will not play for Virtus.pro again
It was no secret that Alexey “Qikert” Golubev and Virtus.pro were about to go their separate ways. The Armenian organization listed Qikert for transfer last month, but the Kazakh rifler played for Virtus.pro at the Gamers8 2023 recently. Golubev, however, says that he will no longer play for Virtus.pro.
We tried our best but sometimes its not enough, gg to @G2esports they are playing strong cs rn
Being standin and helping the boys was fun but now it’s time move forward and try different way,thx for supporting me and vp on this tournament ❤️
I’l share my future plans soon, sya👋— Alexey Golubev (@Qikert) August 19, 2023
Qikert’s Virtus.pro Career Comes To An End
Credit: Qikert
Qikert made an announcement on July 14th, indicating that his tenure with Virtus.pro was drawing to a close. Both he and the organization have reached a consensus to entertain offers from other teams interested in recruiting him. The IEM Rio 2022 winner chose not to step down right away and instead took part in competitions such as the Thunderpick World Championship 2023 Europe Series 1, CCT 2023 Online Finals 2, and the IEM Sydney 2023 Europe Open Qualifier with Virtus.pro.
Qikert now says that the Gamers8 2023 was the last event he played for the Armenian side. He was crucial to the team’s advancement to the quarterfinals, but that’s where he wants his Virtus.pro story to end. Dzhami “Jame” Ali and company opened with a remarkable victory against FaZe, but G2 proved to be an insurmountable challenge for them.
Alexey’s brief statement on X lacked further elaboration about the specifics behind his departure, such as whether he has already joined a new team, the status of his contract, or the identity of the player set to replace him in VP’s core lineup.
Qikert’s Virtus.pro Legacy
During his period with Virtus.pro, first as part of the Outsiders prior to the team’s relocation from Russia to Armenia to escape international sanctions in 2022, Alexey achieved his most notable milestone by lifting the IEM Rio title.
After their Major victory, the team faced challenges in maintaining their competitive prowess, prompting them to search for a way to regain their footing. Initially, they attempted to address this by integrating the young talent Aleksandr “KaiR0N-” Anashkin into the roster, but this move didn’t yield the desired outcomes. More recently, they opted for the addition of Nikolay “mir” Bityukov. It, however, appears that they are now considering another change.
Virtus.pro’s next tournament commitment is at the PARI Dunav Party in Belgrade, Serbia, running from August 24th to 27th. Afterward, their focus will shift towards the ESL Pro League taking place in September.
Virtus.pro Current Lineup
- Dzhami “Jame” Ali
- Evgenii “FL1T” Lebedev
- Petr “fame” Bolyshev
- Nikolay “mir” Bityukov
- Dastan “dastan” Akbayev (coach)
- Alexey “Qikert” Golubev (benched)
- David “n0rb3r7” Danielyan (benched)
