Søren ” Bjergsen” Bjerg is a player revered in the NA region of League of Legends. He is one of the game's most iconic players but one of the many uncrowned kings in its history. The lack of a world championship title is certainly a mark on an otherwise stellar record but it does not diminish from his feats. Being one of the best NA players has its perks despite the lack of a Worlds win. Let's take a quick look at how much Bjergsen accomplished up until his retirement earlier this year.
King without a Crown
Bjergsen has earned approximately $250,222.70 in prize earnings across 36 tournaments in his career. This is a commendable sum considering he has never won Worlds with his long-time organization, Team SoloMid. He ranks 65th among all of the League of Legends players in earnings which is a respectable spot for any NA player.
Historically, NA has been the least successful region in League of Legends. This is especially true considering China finally winning its first Worlds title in 2018. NA is now the only major region with no world championship title but that doesn't mean their players aren't world-class.
Team SoloMid, with Bjergsen manning Mid, has appeared repeatedly in the League of Legends World Championship. Their best record on the international stage was a 5th-8th place finish in the 2014 iteration of the annual tournament. The international records aren't indicative of Bjergsen's fantastic career. The bulk of his amazing feats happened right in his home region.
The NA standard-bearer
The Danish Mid Laner may not be swimming in millions of cash prize earnings but he has earned something far more important. Team SoloMid as an organization has always enjoyed a massive following from loyal fans and supporters. This obviously gravitated towards Bjergsen when he joined the team in 2013. Bjergsen stepped in to fill the spot left by former Mid-Laner and TSM CEO Andy “Reginald” Dinh. It didn't take long for Bjergsen to find his groove with the team as his skills earned him the loyalty of TSM fans almost immediately.
Bjergsen was often hailed as the best player in NA prior to his retirement. He had a deep champion pool that would help him out across ever-changing meta shifts. His skills have also unofficially earned him the affectionate nickname “NA's Faker” from rabid online fans. Bjergsen also has the mindset of a champion when it comes to practice and gunning for championship titles.
“When you are not practicing, remember, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you meet him, he will win.”
Team SoloMid has enjoyed multiple trips to the NA League of Legends Championship grand finals. Bjergsen's multiple NA LCS titles are just one of the many reasons why he is adored by fans. He most recently won another local title for TSM before hanging up his mouse and keyboard for good.
A new start
It has been eight seasons since the Danish Mid Laner claimed the TSM Mid spot and changed the organization forever. Unfortunately for the many undying TSM fans, Bjergsen's tenure as their star player wasn't meant to last forever. Earlier this year, Bjergsen announced in a personal video on the TSM channel that he will be retiring from competitive League. This may have come as a shock to many fans but he's actually retiring on the high of having just won a local title. There are not very many players that can leave the competition on such a good note. Bjergsen shared his immense gratitude for his entire competitive career, especially in his time with Team SoloMid.
“I'm really grateful for what playing professional League of Legends in TSM has given me. When I first started playing professionally I was a depressed kid in Denmark. League of Legends was just an escape from the hard times I was having… The person I am today was formed through this job and I think it's been a great way for me to grow and learn things.”
Things won't end for the former Mid Lane superstar as he still intends to be part of Team SoloMid moving forward. It was an extremely wise move on the part of TSM management to make Bjergsen a co-owner. CEO and owner Reginald once remarked that bringing on Bjergsen in as a co-owner was the logical step. This is due to the Mid star's immense efforts in the successes of TSM in the past. Now Bjergsen intends to lead the team not as its captain and Mid mage but as its head coach. This will definitely be a weird but fresh change for TSM. Bjergsen may no longer be playing as an active member of the squad but there's still a chance he can take home part of the winnings if he can lead TSM to victory from behind the scenes.
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