Last week must have felt like a dream for Gabriel 'Bwipo' Rau as he lead Fnatic to victory in the EU LCS, confirming the team's first place finish for Spring Split.

Pro and former-pro players have come out in support of the rookie's potential, noting his knowledge of the game as particularly impressive.

Bwipo has confirmed that he will start another match in the EU LCS this week and says his main goal is to challenge fellow top-laner Paul 'sOAZ' Boyer for his starting place in the team.

Gabriel 'Bwipo' Rau has confirmed he will start another game for Fnatic in the EU LCS this week

However, the rookie admits he has a long to go: 'There's a lot I have to learn before I can consider myself a better player. But more importantly, there's A LOT more I have to prove before I can even start to say that I'm a better player. He has the best record of any western player when it comes to Worlds appearances and performances. That speaks for itself.

'I'm interested in finding out what gives him that X factor that turns games around. He's really good at playing from behind and finding a way to have impact regardless of that.

'For the spring split, the odds of me seeing play in playoffs are low. However, I have every intention to compete for a starting place in Summer.'

The Belgian is grateful for his opportunities and even with little playing time, says he has learnt a lot during his few months with the team: 'There's several role models in the team when it comes to work ethic and health. I've learned mostly how to behave outside the game and be constructive in my criticism, as well as be an overall better teammate.

The Belgian top-laner says he has learnt a lot already despite his short time at Fnatic so far

'I had no expectations of stage time but as our split started, sOAZ wanted to give me a game to get a different perspective on our gameplay issues. Eventually, I performed well enough to be considered on stage once the meta shifted to favour my champion pool. That was a little bit early in the split so we decided I would get a chance towards the end.'

Bwipo is living his dream and says a large part of that is thanks to his mum: 'I was turning 17, and I had been challenger for a good while. At first, I thought I could manage school and league at the same time but I wasn't disciplined enough to keep my grades at a passable rate.

So I talked to my mother and asked her if I at least could take a break from school to try and go pro. My brother backed me up in the decision, and my mother gave me the okay. My father however, would rather have seen me finish high school first.

'My mum didn't really need to be convinced that it was a legitimate career path. I think she looked at it like a chance I'll never get again in the future. She worked very rough hours and a lot of them too, like 12-14 hour days during the weekends. It's especially impressive to me, because she was recovering from cancer as I made the decision.

Bwipo's mum gave him permission to drop out of school and go pro while she battled cancer

'Eventually I left for Turkey and once I could help with bills, I tried to convince her it was okay. She's still adamant about taking care of all the bills on her own, as she did for two years, but I help when it gets too difficult for her.'

Bwipo hasn't looked back since. He's taking big steps in his career progression but he isn't looking too far ahead just yet: 'I've found my home for now, and I feel very welcomed.

'The players are all at a very high level, and it'll be hard to find another team that can compete in skill. Being close and capable of learning from sOAZ is a great opportunity for any upcoming player.

'Next year will depend on how Summer goes. But I'm going to take every LCS offer into account, and reach a decision then. I'll try to prove my worth in the LCS, and eventually on an international stage.'