14-Year-Old from Tyumen Becomes Esports Pro: 'It's a Dream!'

Daniil Maskutov from Tyumen, now 14, signed a contract with the esports academy Virtus.Pro in March 2025 and shared his impressions of the first year of cooperation.

The teenager«s story became widely known in the summer. Having become interested in computer games, he quickly achieved success in Counter Strike 2 and began publishing videos of his gaming achievements. The videos gained popularity, which attracted the attention of professionals who offered him a spot on the youth team VP Future.

Virtus.pro is one of the largest Russian-speaking esports organizations. Its headquarters is in Yerevan, and the club was founded in 2003. The organization«s teams regularly participate in international tournaments, and with total prize winnings of about $20.5 million, the club is in the global top ten.

The Virtus.pro Future division is engaged in searching for and training young talents for subsequent transition to the main team. Daniil has become one of such promising players.

A video summing up the year has been published on the Virtus.Pro channel. During this time, Daniil visited Moscow and Belgrade, where he took part in esports tournaments and training camps.

«I went abroad without my parents, and to a Counter Strike tournament at that. It»s just a dream. The trip to Belgrade is one of the most memorable events in my life,« says Daniil.

In 2026, the teenager intends to achieve higher results in the game. He finds motivation in the support of his mother, who in previous interviews noted that she understands his aspirations.

After signing the contract, Daniil encountered haters. He had to learn to cope with a stream of negative comments that even came from some friends.

«There were acquaintances, even friends, who said I wasn»t up to this level, like, why did I go there. But it«s clear that these are now former friends, because such friends who envy you, I don»t need,« Daniil said in the video.