Riot will celebrate the legacy of Caps during an official trophy ceremony in Berlin on August 18.
Rasmus “Caps” Winther is officially the third player inducted into Riot’s Hall of Legends. After Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok and Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao, he becomes the first Western pro to receive League of Legends esports’ most important individual honor. For Europe, this is more than just an award for one mid laner – it is recognition of an entire era.
Europe’s Greatest Player Gets His Place
Caps had long been the most obvious Western candidate for the Hall of Legends. The Danish mid laner achieved what very few Western players could even realistically aim for: he was not only regionally dominant for years but also taken seriously internationally.
His record speaks for itself. Caps reached two Worlds Finals, won the 2019 Mid-Season Invitational with G2 Esports, and collected 17 LEC titles in total. At MSI 2019, he was also named Finals MVP. This exact combination of international finals, an MSI title, and regional dominance is the core of his Hall of Legends case.
But the most important thing about Caps is not just the trophy list. It is the meaning of his career. Before Caps, the West was usually hope on the international stage, rarely reality. Upsets happened, but they often felt like exceptions. Caps turned that into a repeatable idea: Europe could not only keep up with the best teams in the world, but beat them.
From Fnatic Talent to Europe’s King
Caps’ rise did not begin as a finished legend. He joined Fnatic as an extremely young talent, surrounded by hype but also questions. Mechanically, he stood out early, but like many young pros, he first had to prove whether solo queue brilliance could turn into a reliable franchise player.
In 2018, he gave the answer. With Fnatic, Caps won both EU LCS splits and reached the Worlds Final. Even though the 0-3 loss to Invictus Gaming was clear in the end, that run changed Europe’s self-image. For the first time in years, a European team stood directly in front of the biggest title in the game.
Then came the move that shook the region. Caps left Fnatic and joined G2 Esports. In one move, he shifted the European balance of power. Luka “Perkz” Perković moved to bot lane, G2 built one of the best Western rosters of all time, and Caps became the center of this new era.
In 2019, the peak followed. G2 won Europe, beat T1 at MSI, won the tournament against Team Liquid, and later also reached the Worlds Final in Paris. The dream of a Western world title ended against FunPlus Phoenix, but the year remains the greatest international year for a European team since the earliest days of the game.
The Faker Rivalry Makes Caps’ Legacy Bigger
Caps’ induction also feels fitting because his career is so closely tied to Faker. The nickname “Baby Faker” was almost a burden at first: a comparison to the greatest player in League history, one that nobody can truly live up to. But over the years, it became a real sporting rivalry.
In 2019, Caps was the mid laner who defeated Faker and T1 in two major best-of-five series: at MSI and later at Worlds. In those moments, he was no longer just Europe’s best player, but one of the few Western pros who could genuinely stand up to Faker on the biggest stage.
Later, the record shifted more strongly back in Faker’s favor. T1 beat G2 at MSI 2022, MSI 2024, and Worlds 2024, before G2 reopened the series in 2026 with a 3-1 win at MSI. According to Sheep Esports, Faker still leads the head-to-head, but Caps remains one of his most important international rivals.
That is what makes the Hall of Legends story so strong. Caps does not step into Faker’s shadow. He steps beside him—not as an equally great player, but as one of the few names who became a lasting part of Faker’s international story.
Why Caps Is More Than His Titles
Of course, Caps is still missing the one title that would change everything: Worlds. That is why his career can always also be read as the story of an unfulfilled dream. Two finals, several deep runs, many close moments—but never the Summoner’s Cup.
Still, his induction is deserved. The Hall of Legends should not only honor the players who ended up with the most world titles. It should also honor players who shaped a region, a role, and a generation. That is exactly what Caps did.
He kept Europe relevant for years. He showed that Western teams did not have to function only through underdog narratives. And he embodied a playstyle that was bold, creative, and sometimes chaotic—but precisely for that reason, it fit G2 and Europe’s identity so perfectly.
An Honor for Caps & The West
Riot will celebrate Caps with an official trophy ceremony in Berlin on August 18. A dedicated Hall of Legends event is set to follow on September 10 with Patch 26.18, including a career event pass and exclusive cosmetics. The Hall of Legends page will include more details about Caps starting August 24.
For Caps himself, the induction is a milestone. For Europe, it is almost just as important. After Faker and Uzi, the West finally has its first representative in Riot’s most exclusive legacy circle. And hardly anyone fits that role better.
Caps was never the most successful player in the world. But he was the player who made Europe believe most convincingly that it was possible. That is exactly why he belongs in the Hall of Legends.