In a recent interview with Fortune Korea, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok revealed his mindset on being able to grind for nearly 13 years since his debut in the LCK.

The interview, which has been translated into English, goes into great detail on his pro journey, thoughts on age mattering in esports, and what keeps him so competitive and sharp.

The 2018 turning point: questioning his future

The interview discusses a key moment in the pro’s life: at the 2018 Worlds, he thought his skill was declining due to his age. At that moment, he had won his third World Championship, with 2013, 2015, and now 2018 being hallmark years for the veteran midlaner.

But the question was: are esports careers often short-lived?

“Back then, the perception was very strong that careers in esports were particularly short, and I felt like I couldn’t escape this trend. Nevertheless, a part of me wondered: Is it really right to be pushed aside helplessly just because of my age? Can’t I prove that this doesn’t have to be the case? Can’t I just keep going longer and continue to prove myself? From that moment on, I trained even harder.”

Faker’s big accomplishments came after his fearful years

Faker has since gone on to win three other World Championships, and with T1, is the back-to-back-to-back-to-back world champion. He also only missed out on the 2022 World final by finishing second, losing to long-time ADC rival Deft, who had been in the scene for nearly as long as he had.

One of the hallmark moments of this journey of perseverance was in 2023. The player notoriously had a wrist injury, where the world was first introduced to Poby as his replacement in the regular split. The pro came back after several weeks, letting his wrist heal, and managed to claw a struggling T1 side to the World final qualifications, and then of course went on to win the event itself. That was one of the proudest moments of his entire career.

The question is, can T1 and Faker do it again this year?

It’s Kkoma’s turn to take time off, as the team has started a little rough so far in the spring split of the 2026 season. A big loss to the Telecom rivals KT, but a swift win against former T1 ADC Gumayusi’s Hanwha Life puts T1 in a spot where they are good, just not consistent.

Only time will tell whether T1 is indeed cooked as many feared, despite the current temporary head coach being there with them during their Hail Mary 2023 Worlds run.

Reading keeps the GOAT sharp

The secret to Faker’s determination is that he managed to stay healthy in a scene with strong burnout. He reads a lot to keep his mind sharp and to get away from the game. His reading ranges from many things, but some of the things he likes are psychology. Explains a lot with the most recent Worlds finals, where he was able to give his top laner therapy lessons mid-finals, despite how hard he was getting diffed by Bin during the finals. If you don’t know what I mean, check this clip out from three months ago.

For the most part, it seems Faker’s magical formula is working.

The player remains a mastermind of the game by the looks of things. And while he’s not the best in his role, with younger midlaners being more star-studded in the current era of the game, one cannot deny that his consistency makes him extremely special, given his age in esports and the accomplishments he’s made on the way.

Faker has since become a stamp in Korean mailing and was recently featured in a Goyard advert. The man has certainly transcended by playing the game he thought he was doomed to leave eight years ago. Well done, my goat.