They say that history tends to repeat itself and that couldn't be any truer with Fnatic. Rekkles was formerly the fired-up rookie with all the potential in the world who worked under sOAZ and while Xpeke was the face of the brand.

Now, the ADC fills Peke's role while Bwipo has suddenly emerged to take Rekkles' old spot. The Belgian top-laner was a substitute for Fnatic but after working hard behind the scenes and an injury to sOAZ, he's had to step up.

He was dropped in at the deep end but managed to stay afloat. He held his own against the best-performing top-laner of the Split to help his team to their first EU LCS title since 2015.

Bwipo has emerged as a very promising rookie during his short-time competing with Fnatic

It's understandable that Bwipo may be starting to get cocky - he's playing for one of the biggest teams in esports despite his lack of experience. He recently described himself as one of the best top-laners in Europe and refused to take those comments back despite recently admitting on social media that those comments may have been premature.

He had that same level of confidence when talking to us but he's taking nothing for granted: 'I’ve always been around this level in terms of gameplay. I think people assume that I have no respect for the competition, because of what I said about being the best top-laner in Europe. But in reality, I very much respect all the other top-laners.

'I’ve made a lot of progress when it comes to a few things, but I think when it comes to gameplay and communication I’ve always been at a level close to what I am right now. Getting the chance to prove yourself is the more difficult part of a League of Legends career, I’d say.'

Despite only playing a handful of games for them, Bwipo has already lifted the EU LCS trophy

Bwipo has also been very vocal for his admiration for sOAZ and is happy learning from him. While Bwipo will undoubtedly have caught the attention of many teams, he's adamant of fighting for his place: 'I will be staying with Fnatic in almost every case.

'It could’ve been a selection of other top-laners taking home that victory instead of me. Whether it would’ve gone better or worse, I like to believe I made enough of a difference to make the games go better. So, I’m aiming for the starter position - that's been my goal since joining.'

There haven't been any changes to sOAZ's situation but Bwipo is hoping for a speedy recovery as he says Fnatic need the veteran if they want to show their best at MSI. While Rekkles spends some time practising in Korea, the rest of the team have gone home to get some rest.

His heroic performances means Fnatic's humongous fan base have quickly warmed to him

Bwipo said he had the option of bootcamping but decided against it: 'We've decided that staying in our home region is a better idea. Family is very important to me and I wanted to spend at least a week home. In case of the bootcamp, I’d only have one to two days with my family.

'I’ll be grinding solo-queue from home until we rejoin in Berlin to start scrimming again. I surprised my mum and she was incredibly happy to see me back home, and it’s been great so far. I’ll be home for a little while longer and hopefully get to stream from here as well.'

The Belgian describes his teammates as 'hard-working' but knows there's still much to do before MSI: 'I agree with what Dylan Falco said after our final, we need to change our style. I think we’ll have to learn how to execute more early game oriented drafts on stage. Losing towers or dropping pressure in our lanes to out-scale won’t cut it on an international stage.

Bwipo says the roster are all hard workers and have a lot to do before they compete at MSI

'I'm not sure how NA and EU teams will math-up' he added, 'I believe Team Liquid and us have somewhat similar traits, we both try to maintain a steady early game and rely on their carries to take over teamfights in the later stages.

'We both have superstar ADCs so if it comes down to this type of style again, I’m sure it’ll be a match worth watching. Not to mention the mid-laners that would be involved.'