m0NESY Joins Falcons in Record-Breaking Move

Saudi Arabian esports organization Falcons has officially signed russian CS:GO sensation Ilya "⁠m0NESY⁠" Osipov from G2 Esports, marking a major shift in the competitive Counter-Strike scene. The 19-year-old AWPer will take the place of fellow russian Abdul "⁠degster⁠" Gasanov, who was recently benched after helping Falcons win their first-ever trophy over the weekend.

Record Deal Rumored

While the exact financial details of the transfer remain undisclosed, reports from journalist Guillaume 'neL' Rathier suggest that Falcons may have broken the CS:GO transfer record to bring m0NESY onboard. At the time of the deal, he still had eight months remaining on his contract with G2.

Reunion With NiKo

The move reunites m0NESY with Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač, his former teammate from G2. The two were a dominant force during their time together, winning six trophies between January 2022 and December 2024. NiKo made his own switch to Falcons at the end of 2024, as the organization ramped up its ambition to become a top-tier team.

A Proven Star

m0NESY joined G2 from Natus Vincere in a reported $600,000 transfer, and quickly rose to prominence. He earned a spot in the HLTV Top 20 Players of the Year for three consecutive years (2022–2024) and was a finalist for the 2024 Player of the Year award, narrowly losing out to Danil "⁠donk⁠" Kryshkovets.

Falcons’ Big Push

This signing is the latest in a series of high-profile moves by Falcons, who also acquired the core roster of HEROIC in December and signed NiKo soon after. Their efforts paid off last weekend, when the team claimed their first major title by defeating G2 in the grand final of PGL Bucharest.

Upcoming Matches

m0NESY is set to debut with Falcons next week at IEM Melbourne, where they’ll face SAW in the group stage and are considered one of the tournament favorites. After Melbourne, the team is scheduled to participate in:

• BLAST Rivals (April 30 – May 4)
• IEM Dallas (May 19 – 25)

This stretch of events will serve as crucial preparation ahead of Falcons’ main goal of the season: the Austin Major.

Current Falcons Roster

• Emil "⁠Magisk⁠" Reif
• Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač
• Damjan "⁠kyxsan⁠" Stoilkovski
• René "⁠TeSeS⁠" Madsen
• Ilya "⁠m0NESY⁠" Osipov
• Danny "⁠zonic⁠" Sørensen(Coach)
• Abdul "⁠degster⁠" Gasanov(Benched)