Faker chose to win the championship instead of getting married.

Faker enters his 8th World Championship final. Photo: Lol Esports .

Not only is Faker (Lee Sang-hyeok) the top player in League of Legends, his competitive league, but he is also known as the GOAT of the entire esports industry. The dominance of this South Korean gamer is undeniable. This player is so great that if you divide his 13-year professional career in half, Faker would hold the top two positions in League of Legends history.

Despite this, the "king of eSports" maintains a professional attitude and remains focused on his work. It's almost impossible to spot any distractions from this player. He continues to dedicate his full attention to his career rather than extraneous issues.

In a quick interview before the 2025 World Championship finals, Faker was asked whether he would choose his sixth championship title or marrying his girlfriend. "The championship title," the 2022 Asian Games gold medalist answered decisively.

With 13 years of professional play, dozens of championships, the highest salary in the industry, and lucrative sponsorship and endorsement deals, Faker has never shown any lack of professionalism or distraction. He dedicates most of his time to training and other organizational duties. When asked about his hobbies outside of work, Lee Sang-hyeok said he enjoys reading. His favorite game, besides League of Legends, is chess.

The rare occasions fans have seen Faker lose his composure are when he loses. In 2017, T1 suffered a crushing 0-3 defeat against Samsung Galaxy. Faker covered his face and sobbed in front of 40,000 spectators at the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing. Then, in 2024, the player was caught losing his temper and self-harming after a defeat against arch-rival Gen.G.

Despite winning numerous championships in competitive strategy games, Faker rarely shows contempt or belittles his opponents. He was once spotted refusing to pose in a "dislike" position for a photo, an action considered normal in the industry.

Faker has also never been involved in dating rumors, even though in his home country, this gamer's popularity is comparable to that of a K-Pop idol.

The League of Legends World Championship 2025 will take place from October 14th to November 9th in Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu, China. This is the third time the country with the world's largest population has hosted the event, following 2017 and 2020. T1 is the reigning world champion for two consecutive years.