In November 2025, a 16-year-old Swedish player surpassed Danil “donk” Kryshkovets’ legendary FACEIT ELO record, hitting a whopping 5,415 points. His name is Liam “MaiL09” Tügel, and legendary Swedish player HeatoN called him “Sweden’s donk”. At an age when most teenagers are worried about high school exams, MaiL09 is carrying the torch of Sweden’s storied Counter-Strike legacy.
Born on May 30, 2009 in Malmö, Sweden, MaiL09 currently plays for Metizport. In a recent interview with FACEIT, when asked about his ambitions, his answer is simple: “I see myself playing hopefully a Major in the next two to three years”. Given his trajectory over just 18 months as a professional, that ambition seems well within reach.
The origins of MaiL09: From dad’s computer to Swedish prodigy
MaiL09’s journey began in the most prototypical CS way possible.
“I started playing CS when I was six years old and it was because my dad was playing it on his computer. I asked him, ‘Can I can I try it?’ And after that, it just spiralled. I wanted to play every day.”
The childhood curiosity transformed into something special at age 11 when he won his first local LAN. “Then I knew that this career can really be something”, he recalls. By 13, he had become a viral sensation—streaming FACEIT Pro League (FPL) pugs while still in middle school. Clips of the teenage phenom flooded social media, each title emphasizing his shocking age.
The breakthrough came with a third-place finish in the Swedish Elite Series (Svenska Elitserien), where his young squad outplaced experienced teams whilst he was still just 15. Connection with draken through pugging got his foot in the door with Johnny Speeds, leading to his eventual signing.
But MaiL09’s path required sacrificing his education. As his teams began practicing from 5pm to 9pm daily, balancing school became impossible: “I did a decision to not go to school and go full-time CS. Now I don’t need to balance it at all”. With Johnny Speeds, he finally conquered the Elite league after five previous attempts.
The big Metizport move
In July 2025, everything changed for the prodigy. Metizport signed the 16-year-old in what Johnny Speeds described as a lucrative deal. For MaiL09, the significance went beyond just the big ticket price: “Getting signed by Metizport when I was 16 was a huge deal. Metizport is the biggest Swedish team right now, I think, and the most successful one because they’re the only Swedish team that been to a Major in the last, I don’t know, years maybe. I saw it as a good opportunity to improve as a player and play against better teams”.
His former teammate draken provided perspective: “It’s tough as a 16-year-old that you have to perform” after such a significant transfer. The pressure would have crushed lesser players. But MaiL09 had something to prove.
How MaiL09 broke donk’s FPL dynasty
For six consecutive FACEIT seasons, donk had been untouchable—the undisputed king of the platform—and MaiL09 made it his mission to dethrone him. In November 2025, he shattered donk’s previous record of 5,360 ELO by reaching 5,415, leading Season 7 by nearly 400 points over second place. Over a 20-game stretch, he maintained a staggering 1.31 kills per round average.
“The biggest reason that I grinded FACEIT was because I wanted to beat donk. Then I beat donk but it wasn’t as good a feeling as I thought it would be because I saw that donk wasn’t trying to win this season.”
By December, donk had reclaimed the number one spot, but MaiL09 remains firmly in the top 10 alongside fellow Swede, Simon “yxngstxr” Boije.
The schedule of a pro player
The path to excellence demands sacrifice, and MaiL09 has paid the price. “I’m practicing so much from 10 to maybe six every day. I don’t really have the energy to do anything. So right now it’s only CS”, he admits. The reality was harsher than he had expected: “I thought it would be maybe four hours practice. It’s from 10 to six, it’s eight hours practice and then after that you need to watch demos”.
His social life has taken a backseat: “Of course, I sacrificed some friends outside the game. Maybe I’m not going out with friends as much as other people. Just the sacrifice that I wanted to make to become the best”. Every moment is optimized: “When I have practice, I practice. When I have officials, I have officials and I prepare myself for both the practice and official as good as I can. But if I have time over, I’m going to grind FACEIT. I’m going to play deathmatch, watch demos”.
Outside the server, his life is surprisingly simple: “Outside of CS, I’m passionate about hanging out with my family. I like to bake, like different things”. When asked about his best moment so far, his answer reveals his pure love for the game: “My best moment so far is just being full-time. I get to get up in the morning, play CS, and go to sleep knowing that next time I wake up, I can just play CS again”.
The precision and consistency of MaiL09’s play
What separates MaiL09 from other talented teenagers? It’s not explosive flick shots or flashy highlight plays—it’s something far more sophisticated. His T-side pistol rounds have clocked a remarkable 1.2 rating in 2025, driven by near-perfect crosshair placement. While he has often been compared to donk for his age and meteoric rise, the two are drastically different in their playstyles.
MaiL09 plays a slower, more methodical style that prioritizes preparation over reaction. His aim style draws comparisons to ropz—complete control over micro-adjustments with tight bursts, though he lacks the explosive flick speed of someone like BOROS.
His self-assessment shows remarkable awareness: “I think my strength is playing slow, searching out angles and knowing what to do to win the round. But I think I need to work more on split decisions and playing faster, playing more aggressive”. A recognition of one’s weaknesses can often be hard to come by at such a young age.
What truly impresses analysts is his game sense. He’s rarely caught off guard, always aware of where gaps exist in rounds. His read on rotations, utility usage and positioning was second to none in his Johnny Speeds stint, and it’s these intangibles that separate good players from future stars. This mental chess at such a young age is simply unteachable.
The statistics that tell the story
Over the past three months, MaiL09 has posted a mere 1.02 rating, a sharp decline from his earlier exploits. But most of that can be explained by the team’s overall performance, and the increased level of competition. And despite the drop, his numbers still stack up well with players in the top five teams for his roles.
Where he truly shines is on the CT side. Across his best four maps, he averages a whopping 1.34 rating, though his Nuke and Overpass statistics could use some further sharpening up. His rifle work also peaks on the CT side, with his M4A1-S putting up a 1.28 rating.
Family and Inspiration
Behind every great player is a support system, and MaiL09’s family has been crucial. “The person that supports me the most, I would say, is my dad because he’s looking at all my games. He’s talking to me every day. So he’s my biggest supporter right now”, he says. That belief started early: “When I was 11, they said that I can be one of the best players in the world”.
MaiL09 draws inspiration from Russian phenomenon Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov, who represents his ultimate dream: “He achieved such early success when he was so young, 17… now he’s just travelling the world. He has a lot of fans. He’s playing the game for a living. So yeah, that’s my dream”.
Unlike some young players who expect instant stardom, MaiL09 understands the journey ahead: “I need some time to become better at the game. I’m not going to be the next donk in one or two years. I’m going to need some time in the end. I’m going to be a good player.”
His advice to aspiring professionals reflects the wisdom he’s gained through sacrifice:
“The best advice is that you need to love the game. If you don’t love the game, you cannot do this because you need to put all of your energy into the game. Have a good mentality, be happy, and just grind. If you just grind every day, you’re going to see improvement.”
At just 16, MaiL09 has already broken records, secured a high-profile transfer to Sweden’s only recent Major-attending squad, and positioned himself as the heir to Sweden’s rich Counter-Strike tradition. He trains eight hours daily, sacrifices his social life, and maintains the mental fortitude to compete against players a decade older.
The question isn’t whether MaiL09 will make it to a Major in the next two to three years. The question is whether he can fulfil his immense potential. From a six-year-old asking his dad to let him try the game to Sweden’s brightest young star, Liam “MaiL09” Tügel is writing his legacy one round at a time—and the Counter-Strike world is watching with bated breath.
