AMMAN — Red Bull OG team recently ignited the universe of e-sports by entering one of the most iconic and competitive games in the world: Counter Strike Global Offensive. The team welcomed a selection of players who demonstrated themselves with dedication, hard work and great talent that earned them a spot on the chairs of the OG CS: GO team., according to a statement from the team.

 

Among those very few selected is the Jordanian player Issa Murad, nicknamed ISSA, the 23-year-old who has built a promising career in the world of e-sports, and who will play a new challenging role amongst the ranks of team OG, and is the first player from Jordan to do so.

 

Let’s take a look at his path towards professionalism before he started raising winning trophies with OG CS: GO:

 

As was the case with many players, Murad first got acquainted with Counter-Strike through his brother, who introduced him to the game when he was only four years old. His brother stopped playing after a while, but Murad kept clinging to his new passion. 

 

By the time CS:GO was released, Murad had started playing from home, and had jumped on the new version of the game right away. No longer part of the internet café community, as the local network scene in Jordan was not really that active, Murad started playing on ESEA alone in order to connect with other Jordanian players from his country, and the Octopus1 team was soon created.

 

By the end of 2015 Octopus1 played their first LAN event, qualifying for Play It Cool CS: GO Community Challenge, a show of LAN amateurs in Stockholm, where they played against Play It Cool All-Stars. Although it was just a show tournament, playing against his beloved players meant a lot to Issa: “We were very happy! It was our first official game and we were excited and happy to play against legend players. I have always been a fan of GeT_RiGhT.”

 

From there, Murad’s career kicked off and her started playing professionally with local and international teams and participating in competitions at a global level.

 

But playing with a formal team has had its cost. “I was at university, studying law, it was my final year when the HellRaisers team called me. I had no choice but to suspend my studies indefinitely, due to the strict attendance policies, there was no compromise:” At my university, if you did not attend the lectures for seven days, you will be expelled from the class.” Issa followed his dream, he put his education on hold and joined team HellRaisers, but the decision did not impress his family.

 

“Here in Jordan, in the Middle East, it is important to get a college degree. My family thought I was ruining my life, and I didn’t know what I was doing. Up until I signed a contract with HellRaisers and started getting a proper salary. Now, my parents support me and follow all my games.”

 

Murad may not have the trophies and plaudits of his teammates, but it’s only a matter of time. Already a familiar face in big tournaments like the ESL Pro League, the former HellRaisers player will be looking to rectify that in swift order on OG CS:GO.

 

“After playing for three years in the same pro team, I got a bit demotivated and I felt I needed something fresh. When I was on the bench, the break helped me to refresh my mind and to know what way I want to go, and I think in OG I have everything I want.”