Ninjas in Pyjamas’ hunt for a new top dog heading into Counter-Strike 2 is reportedly coming to an end with the signing of Alejandro “alex” Masanet, a veteran in-game leader.
The tenured Spanish leader is set to move before his contract expires with Movistar at the end of this year, according to early reports from HLTV today, thanks to a deal made by both Counter-Strike parties pushing the process forward.
All that remains now, according to reports, is the final signatures.
NiP has chopped and changed multiple players over the past few months after a series of poor results, with alex’s addition designed to finally turn the tide. Alex’s success with the small-fry Movistar Rider’s CS:GO roster likely helped his name stand out.
If he does make the reported swap, this would be the first time the IGL has led the charge in English throughout his Counter-Strike career.
The Spaniard captained the Movistar Riders lineup to the playoff stage of IEM Cologne 2022, eventually falling at the hands of the tournament champions FaZe Clan in the semifinals. Movistar Riders have been a part of multiple big-name tournaments since alex’s addition in 2017 with varying results.
Elsewhere in NiP’s stables, Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin and Hampus “hampus” Poser were the most recent casualties in the roster shakeup. Patrick “es3tag” Hansen came in to temporarily take the reigns while NiP searched for a new IGL, but will likely move back into other roles.
Alex’s move also follows Alvaro “SunPayus” Garcia’s successful jump across to ENCE in 2022. This would make alex the second Spaniard to join a purely international roster within the top 30 of the HLTV rankings.
The Spanish IGL is expected to join the NiP roster sometime before Nov. 22, when the team’s BLAST Premier Fall Final campaign begins in Copenhagen.
