NiKo⁠ Ranked 4th on HLTV's List of the Best Players of 2024

On January 10, 2025, HLTV announced the 4th place in its ranking of the Top 20 Players of 2024 in Counter-Strike 2. This spot was claimed by the Bosnian player Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač. Notably, by making it onto this year's list, the player set a record for consecutive appearances—9 times in a row—making this achievement a historic milestone.

This year, the newly minted Team Falcons player had one of his best seasons, showcasing outstanding performances in all S-tier tournaments. His overall rating was 1.17, KPR – 0.74, KAST – 73.7%, and Impact Rating – 1.24. These stats are among the best across all players and, combined with tournament victories, secured NiKo such a high position.

Career Highlights and Achievements

Talking about NiKo's esports career could take a long time, as it began back in the Counter-Strike 1.6 era. However, we'll focus on the more recent stages of his journey. His first significant team was mousesports, which he joined in 2015 and played for until 2017. During this time, he won several major tournaments and made it into HLTV's top player rankings.

In 2017, the promising player caught the attention of FaZe Clan, who invited him to join their roster—a decision that proved to be one of the best for both the organization and the player. In his very first year with FaZe Clan, he won tournaments such as StarLadder i-League StarSeries Season 3, Esports Championship Series Season 3 - Finals, ESL One: New York 2017, and ELEAGUE Premier 2017. Alongside these victories, NiKo earned numerous individual awards and ultimately secured 2nd place in HLTV's Player of the Year rankings. The following years with FaZe Clan were equally impressive, as NiKo and his team were rightfully considered one of the best in the world.

In 2020, NiKo transitioned to G2 Esports, a team that was building a strong roster. He quickly adapted to his role and continued to prove why he was regarded as one of the best players in the scene. By 2023, while G2 Esports was seen as a formidable team, their S-tier tournament victories were fewer than desired. However, with roster changes and improved performances, the team truly became a powerhouse, culminating in a victory at BLAST Premier: World Final 2024. NiKo played a crucial role in this success, consistently earning MVP titles from tournament to tournament and maintaining his place among the best players in the world.

2024 Recap and Bold Prediction

The year 2024 turned out to be quite successful for NiKo. Together with his team, they secured victories at Intel Extreme Masters Dallas 2024, BLAST Premier: Fall Final 2024, and BLAST Premier: World Final 2024. Additionally, they achieved 3rd-4th place finishes at PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 and Shanghai Major 2024. NiKo played a pivotal role in these accomplishments, as his rating at almost every event was consistently above 1.15 and even reached 1.30 or higher.

Here’s how NiKo commented on his performances this year:"I'm getting older and everything, there are kids coming up, they're playing more, they're hungrier, but so am I, and I believe I still have it. I'm happy with how 2024 went, and I think it will only get better in 2025. My goal is to stay at the top and I will do everything that I can to stay there. I'll be working harder because as you get older, you need to work harder to stay at the top. That is my plan. I will do everything in my power to get there."

Bold prediction: Dmytro "⁠jambo⁠" Semera, a player from Passion UA, who surprised everyone with their performance at the Shanghai Major 2024.