Where are they now: RUBINO

Regrets, highlights, advice; see what former pros are up to now and what they have to say about their careers after moving on from fragging on the server.

Counter-Strike has had time for several generations of talent to rise to prominence and then fade away with a history spanning more than two decades. CS 1.6, Source, and Global Offensive each have their hall of fame, filled with players who have achieved or touched greatness at one point.

Now, with the arrival of Counter-Strike 2, we have a new crop of aspirants who seek to follow in their predecessors’ footsteps. As we watch tomorrow's stars fight for glory on the world stage, we sometimes let our minds wander down memory lane to reminisce about our old favorites and the days gone by.

Overcome by nostalgia, we might find ourselves tuning into a Christopher "⁠GeT_RiGhT⁠" Alesund stream to watch our old icons gather like dads at a barbecue, or start watching a FragBite Masters VOD unexpectedly presented by the YouTube algorithm.

Some players still compete to this day, others have transitioned to a coaching or management role, and some have seemingly disappeared into thin air, leading us to ask: Where has life taken them? It was precisely this line of thought that inspired this series, in which we reconnect with the former faces of CS:GO and explore their lives after professional gaming.

When we talk about Norway’s contributions to Counter-Strike, one can’t go without mentioning Ruben "⁠RUBINO⁠" Villarroel. Like many other household names in his national scene during Global Offensive, particularly the early days, he rose to prominence by playing for London Conspiracy and LGB.

These formative years, highlighted by two Major appearances, eventually led him to the organization with which he would reach his most significant results: Dignitas.

In November 2015, RUBINO joined the team alongside Kristian "⁠k0nfig⁠" Wienecke, marking the start of his foray into the Danish scene. Captained by Mathias "⁠MSL⁠" Lauridsen and powered by some of Denmark's rising talents, they had a strong showing throughout 2016 that culminated in a championship run at EPICENTER: Moscow and a momentary second place in the HLTV world ranking.

Although he was a role player for a roster spearheaded by k0nfig and later on also Emil "⁠Magisk⁠" Reif, RUBINO was considered key in MSL’s system and could even deliver a game-winning performance from time to time.

RUBINO left the game in 2020, but surprisingly, one of the first things he revealed was that he had contemplated hanging up the mouse as early as 2017 when the team signed for North.

"I planned to stop with Counter-Strike after I left North, as I had personal problems that caused a lot of stress, made it hard to focus on the game, and made me make some decisions that will probably haunt me for the rest of my life," he recalls.

RUBINO then returned to Dignitas for the rest of 2017, playing with a European lineup that included countryman Joakim "⁠jkaem⁠" Myrbostad, and then went on to don the colors of HEROIC and Nordavind, but by then his difficulty focusing on the game became literal.

"I had iridocyclitis in my eyes, and it made me unable to see a lot and made me light sensitive," he explains. "I was also forbidden from exercising and wasn’t allowed to sit in front of the computer for several months."

These difficulties, coupled with a previous desire to step away from Counter-Strike after his time with North, led RUBINO to make the final decision in 2020. "What made me move on from Counter-Strike was that I felt that my hunger for the game was starting to fade, and I wanted to try something new," he confesses. "I can say that if I look back at it, I should never have done this."

Ultimately, he found his drive to compete again in Valorant, reuniting with his former Dignitas teammate Christian "⁠loWel⁠" Garcia Antoran on Heretics. Unfortunately, the experience didn't live up to expectations. For a person in his late twenties, the Valorant scene couldn’t provide the type of stability he was looking for.

"It was really hectic as it was a new game," RUBINO says. "Roster changes happened constantly, and being in two different teams within six or seven months was not something I looked for, as I started to become older and was more reliant on a safe and stable income, which was not a thing when you changed teams this often."

Though RUBINO has since retired and now plays only casually, he still looks back at an excellent Counter-Strike career. Two memories, in particular, stand out for him above the rest.

The first is winning EPICENTER: Moscow over one of the best teams at the time: Virtus.pro. Their victory in Moscow was something above their expectations and ended up being his most cherished experience. RUBINO was a key performer in the pivotal second map of the series, where Dignitas punished Virtus.pro on the Poles' map pick, leading to a reverse sweep.

The second moment was qualifying for his first Counter-Strike Major. Together with Bjoern "⁠Skurk⁠" Maaren, Preben "⁠prb⁠" Gammelsæter, Håvard "⁠rain⁠" Nygaard, and Pål "⁠Polly⁠" Kammen, RUBINO took down Ladislav "⁠GuardiaN⁠" Kovács’s Natus Vincere to qualify for ESL One Cologne 2014 under London Conspiracy while delivering the best performance on the team.

Whenever there is light, though, there are also shadows. A professional career doesn’t come without its trials, of which RUBINO faced his fair share. "I think I was pretty unlucky, if I’m honest," he says.

"Probably 1% of pro players will ever have these kinds of issues since it is really rare that someone gets iridocyclitis, although getting tendinitis in my shoulder was mostly because I didn’t exercise a lot, and I was holding my mouse and sitting in a really bad position which made that happen."

RUBINO was forced to take extended breaks from the game to focus on recovery towards the end of his playing days, and now he's taking this opportunity to caution younger players about exercising properly and paying attention to their wrist and shoulder health in order to avoid ending up in a similar situation. "I promise you that the recovery process of getting it to work properly again is not fun," he warns.

RUBINO was always vocal about burnout and the psychological aspect of the game and the circuit during his playing days. For him, the biggest problem was the challenging schedule they had to face, something which could return almost a decade later, in 2025.

"I thought that events were pushing each other way too much, and if you wanted to stay up in the ranking, you were kind of forced to attend every single tournament, or else you would probably lose the next invite if you didn't accept," he recalls. "In the end that results in players burning out since they don't really get any break."

"It's the same with the lower tiers. You need to attend every single tournament to get recognized and, even if you do, you have a small chance of getting the call-up." As he mentioned previously, making decisions under such duress may ultimately lead to regrets.

"The only thing I really regret was giving up on the Dignitas/North roster, which I did really fast after we joined North," he reflects. "But basically, the support system we had those days was not even close to what it is today. Personal problems came up and not having someone to talk to made me make a decision that was not good for me, so I guess that's it."

Leaving the past in the past, we changed the conversation to the future and what it has in store. When asked about his thoughts on Counter-Strike 2, he admitted that he hasn’t played it that much yet, but his initial impressions have been positive. The one complaint he brought up was the number of cheaters he encountered in matchmaking.

"Please fix premier!" he appeals to Valve. The possibility of returning to the professional scene in any capacity was discussed, but his answer was uncertain. "I think my days as a Counter-Strike player are probably done. I'm 30 years old, so doing analyst work or coaching could be a potential thing to do, but I'm not sure," he concludes.

As for his legacy, he hopes to be remembered for his commitment and hard work ethic. "Grinding is the way to go; you can get places by grinding. Maybe you don't have the same talent as the best players, but you still have a shot if you grind and learn. Nothing is impossible, it’s what you make of it."

Asked if if there was anything on his mind about his career that he wanted to get out there, RUBINO replied with a sense of contentment and acceptance. "I had a fun experience during most of my career, and I would never have not wanted it," he says. "Was it turbulent from time to time? Yes, it was, but I still enjoyed most of it.

"I made some bad decisions and had some bad luck, but I still will never forget about Counter-Strike. It is by far the best game ever made, and I hope it will continue like this for a long time."

RUBINO expressed one final desire, however, involving his former teammates and countrymen jkaem and rain: that they form a Norwegian team and take that team to a Major before calling it a day. "Also, to the people who supported me: thanks. It really meant a lot."