G2 Esports made history in Rotterdam two weekends ago when they dismantled Origen in a record 74 minutes to take home the LEC Spring Split trophy .

But the Spanish organisation have also been on the receiving end of criticism and trolls throughout the years and CEO Carlos ‘ocelote’ Rodriguez is no stranger to the memes.

In fact, he often participates in the meme culture, poking fun and making jokes at situations - something that doesn't always get the best reception from some fans.

I embrace the memes Carlos ‘ocelote’ Rodriguez “I always embrace the memes because I am the opposite of salty. If I ever see myself get salty – I’d mock myself. “What you see is what you get – I enjoy the entertainment aspect of our industry.

“If you want to cry or feel sad you have plenty of other options. There are already so many things in the world that make people sad. You know, politics, global warming, hunger or whatever it is. It’s not that I don’t care about those things but it’s not my job to make you feel sad. I want to make people smile and entertain them.”

Making fun of himself

No matter what you do, there will be a group of people that will take it the wrong way Carlos ‘ocelote’ Rodriguez

ocelote loves making jokes at other team owners © Lol Esports

It’s clear that Carlos doesn’t take himself too seriously, he is often perceived as cheeky when he publicly challenges other team owners on Twitter as well as being able to make fun of himself and G2 when they’re losing.

“Our counter strike team isn’t doing so well at the moment. We never seem to be winning pistol rounds and there are loads of memes about it which I find really funny.

“The thing is, no matter what you do, there will be a group of people that will take it the wrong way even when I’m making fun of myself – that’s just what you get in a competitive environment where the fans are hardcore. I actually love that.

“I’ll tweet things like ‘G2 Celebrating 3-0 week’ before we’ve even played and I have no remorse when I meet the other team owners you know.

“I will have fun and make jokes in person and they laugh but online is different because you can’t see me laughing and smirking and my gestures so people can take it the wrong way.”

The EU Super Villains

I’m okay with being the Tony Stark or Deadpool of Esports. Carlos ‘ocelote’ Rodriguez G2 have earned themselves the reputation of being the ‘EU super villains’ over the years and as with the memes, Carlos seems to embrace the nickname. “We don’t mind too much being called the EU super villains, I mean, what is a villain in the end of the day? “Because Tony Stark and Deadpool can be seen as villains in the beginning and everybody still likes them. “I’m okay with being the Tony Stark or Deadpool of Esports.

G2's booth at the LEC finals in Rotterdam © Lol Esports

“But at the same time, over the last few years, people are slowly getting use to the fact we’re not bad people.

“Our booths at events are always one of the most crowded ones in the arena. The fans see how we treat people in Fnatic and Origen shirts and we make them feel special.

“As a result, they stop seeing us as bad people and start to understand that our tweets and videos of mocking people or ourselves is meant to be funny as opposed to being aggressive.”

Caps is the Lionel Messi of League of Legends

G2 shocked the League of Legends community when they picked up Rasmus ‘Caps’ Winther from Fnatic in the off season. But their announcement video made even more waves with fans branding it as ‘savage’ and hilarious’ at the same time.

So what does Carlos make of their acquisition?

“Caps is unbelievable. He likes to have fun and as everything in life, fun is the most important thing.

“I believe that if you don’t have fun, you’re not growing nearly as much and you’re not progressing.

Caps moved from Fnatic to G2 in the beginning of the split © Lol Esports

“Even when Caps is playing on stage, he just wants to have fun. He would choose champions because he likes the skin, not even because a specific champion is good for the team composition.

“But honestly, should Messi always dribble past eight people and score or should he pass to people more often? Sometimes it’s better to pass the ball but can you blame him if he didn’t?”

Pressure at MSI

We're G2, we thrive, not because we win but because we get back up. Carlos ‘ocelote’ Rodriguez

There is a lot of pressure on G2 after winning the Spring Split, they have an even tougher tournament in a few weeks as they take on not just Europe’s best but the World’s best at MSI.

But even though Carlos believes his side have what it takes to win, he finds no shame in losing.

“Our jerseys have a red slash on them. It signifies our motto '#GetBackUp'. The narrative is that we're samurais. For the last three years, we've been winning a lot but winning didn't necessarily give us all the fans.

“We did well in 2018 at Worlds but not in Europe, which wasn't good for us. As a result, we actually earned more fans aboard. For the first two years we didn't have as much fan support but when we got beaten last year, when we were about to die, our fan army came to our rescue.

“We're G2, we thrive, not because we win but because we get back up. It means that even if we lose we will never give up.

“We are winners, we are competitors but of course it's okay to lose because there is always a tomorrow, we will always get back.”