Jonas Wirth crowned himself German individual champion of the VBL with an overpowering performance. He spoke to eSport about a possible changing of the guard at FC-eSport and the final against his preferred opponent
Jonas Wirth sensed early on that it could be a special weekend at Strassenkicker Base Köln. “After the 3:0 in the first Swiss rounds”, which had flushed him straight into the round of 16 on Friday evening, he had realized for the first time that he could go far. “I played confidently and very, very well,” he summed up, but in the same breath also conceded some residual doubts about his title hopes: “It’s hard to keep that up over three days because there are simply a lot of strong players here. “
Wirth’s Gültekin streak continues
Among these strong players was the 2022 world champion Umut Gültekin, who the 18-year-old had to face in the semi-finals. Not an easy task for ‘Jonny’, although he had good memories of the RBLZ pro: “I beat him the last two times in an offline event. But can I do it a third time? “
The clear answer: yes. He beat Gültekin 2:1 and 3:2 – possibly because of the previous duels and especially last year’s Grand Final. Wirth had come out on top in that match thanks to a spectacular comeback. “I think I perhaps had the better chance mentally, because he also knew: ‘Shit, if I’m leading again now, ‘Jonny’ can still come back’. “
Meanwhile, the name of Wirth’s opponent in the final was less positive. He had lost to Levy Finn Rieck, who also plays for the RBLZ, on his way to winning the VBL Club Championship. “I remembered that game,” admitted ‘Jonny’, “but I had a different match plan this time because I knew how he plays.” This is precisely why the former Rostock player was his favorite opponent in the battle for the trophy. “I kind of wanted him to be my opponent in the final because I knew how I had to play against him and that I could beat him. “
An assessment that was followed by impressive proof. After the 6:1 victory in the first leg, the final was more or less decided, and the 2:0 in the second leg was a piece of cake for ‘Jonny’. The clarity of the final even surprised the Paderborn player himself after the inspiring semi-final victory: “To win so highly against ‘levyfinn’, to win against Umut – that’s unbelievable! That was the best performance I’ve ever shown. “
Is Leipzig’s dominance broken?
The fact that Wirth achieved his magnum opus against a Leipzig player of all people tasted particularly good to him. After all, the Saxons had been the almost untouchable dominator of German FC eSports in recent years – until SC Paderborn caused a minor sensation a few weeks ago and toppled RBLZ in the final of the VBL Club Championship. “It was almost a bit boring that Leipzig always won the championship,” said ‘Jonny’. That was one of the reasons why he explicitly told his coach “that I definitely don’t want to lose to Leipzig”.
No sooner said than done. Which is why, after the second championship title in a very short space of time, the question naturally arises as to whether the SCP can also replace RB Leipzig at the top of German eFootball. “I hope it continues like this for the next few years with lots of titles,” said Wirth, not wanting to let anyone look at his cards, but he was certain: “I can beat anyone if I play my best possible FC. “
