YEKINDAR says his first MVP shows age is nonsense

FURIA Esports player Marek “YEKINDAR” Galinskis reacted to being named MVP of PGL Masters Bucharest 2026 in a post on his personal Telegram channel, Cybersport.ru reported on Oct. 31. In an interview with HLTV.org after the win, also reported by the outlet, he spoke about his doubts and his work on his mindset.

What he said about the award

YEKINDAR said every final is difficult and that the Nemiga players did well. He said it was very hard to play against them, and thanked everyone for their support.

He said this is the first MVP of his career and that he did not know what to say. According to him, he had come close a couple of times before. He called the award cool.

He said it was one more piece of evidence that age is nonsense, adding that he is 27 years old and has won an MVP.

Doubts and mindset

In the HLTV.org interview, YEKINDAR said he has doubted himself throughout his life, in his Liquid days and in general, and that he thought and reflected too much. With age and time, he said, he understood that what is in your head matters, and that this is the most important thing. Finding the strength to overcome doubts and past failures was very important to him.

He said reaching the top 15 in his first year was very important to him, even though he missed the first four months, and that getting the MVP and winning is very important too. He added that he thinks this can inspire people, or at least should.

YEKINDAR said that late in his career at Liquid he was in the worst state of his life. He said he was a bit overweight then and may still be a little now, but that he doubted himself a lot. In the end, he said, it is largely work on his own mindset, and probably 50% of success depends on having the right people around him.

According to Cybersport.ru, FURIA beat Nemiga Gaming 3-2 in the grand final, and HLTV.org named YEKINDAR the most valuable player of the tournament.