ChrisJ leaves MOUZ CSGO after eight years
EPICENTERMOUZ have parted ways with longtime CS:GO player Chris ‘chrisJ’ de Jong, ending an eight-year association with the Dutch veteran.
The announcement marks the end of the longest player stint in the CS:GO scene for one organization, with chrisJ having signed for MOUZ in October 2013 alongside the rest of the Party Daddlers lineup.
His MOUZ tenure was tumultuous at times, and twice he found himself on the bench, in 2017 and 2019, only to return to the starting lineup a few short weeks later.
StarLadderThat history of “+chrisJ -chrisJ” – a popular meme in the CS:GO community – changed in January 2021, when he was moved to the bench for good. He made one final appearance for the team later that year in DreamHack Open November as Aurimas ‘Bymas’ Pipiras was unavailable due to illness.
End of an era.
280 characters are not enough to talk about the last 8 years together. Thank you for everything that you did for @mousesports @chrisJcsgo 🙏🙏🙏Please join us for one last
-chrisJᶠᵒʳ ⁿᵒʷ pic.twitter.com/ZzeG2yoVrX
— MOUZ (@mousesports) January 5, 2022
Jack of all trades
During his time with MOUZ, chrisJ continuously reinvented himself, based on his team’s needs. He played multiple roles, from support to in-game leader, over the years. During his final months on the team, he was the main AWPer following the departure of Özgür ‘woxic’ Eker to Cloud9.
While never really a star player, chrisJ was the heart of a team that has changed its identity and culture multiple times in the last eight years. He was part of German lineups and also of international rosters alongside players like Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovač, Robin ‘ropz’ Kool, and Janusz ‘Snax’ Pogorzelski.
He often became a target of criticism when things went south, but he was also capable of creating moments of magic. His incredible AWP ace against Team Liquid in the grand final of ESL One New York 2018 was that year’s best highlight, according to HLTV.org.
- Read more: Who is m0NESY, G2 CSGO’s new AWP prodigy?
ChrisJ has yet to announce his future plans. Since August 2018, he has been a board member of the Counter-Strike Professional Players’ Association (CSPPA), a representative association that aims to “safeguard, protect and promote professional Counter-Strike players’ interests both during and after their active career.”