| Zaid Williams (Protea Team Member) gave it his all and finished in the top eight. |
In esports, thousands of players grind every day hoping to get noticed. Most of them are talented, but only a few ever reach the competitive level. The difference is not always skill—often it is strategy. Being an unknown player does not mean you are doomed. It simply means you must approach your improvement and exposure more intelligently than players who already have attention.
Success in esports is built through a combination of performance, consistency, and visibility. If you can develop all three, you can turn yourself from an anonymous ranked player into someone teams take seriously.
Thus, top esports athletes can never rest on their laurels. There is always a David to a Goliath, and sometimes there are even several Davids!
So it was on 7 February 2026 when Zaid Williams took to the field!
Zaid went down to Burkina Faso, then won against the DR Congo, and then, only to lose against Lesotho to have to bow out of the championship while in the top eight.
Although disappointed, Zaid stated, “I’ll take it as a lesson, I’ll do even better in the next one!”
Fighting talk indeed, and this is exactly what MSSA expects in terms of the character of its top Protea Esports athletes.
The games were streamed by Waylander Gaming, and can still be seen on: https://youtube.com/@waylander_gaming
In conclusion, unknown players can succeed in esports, but it requires more than talent. You need proof of skill, experience in competitive settings, a reputation for reliability, and a presence that makes it easy for others to notice you.
Climb ranked with consistency, compete in tournaments, build connections, and create a clear identity as a player. Most importantly, stay disciplined long enough for your results to speak louder than your name.
In esports, being unknown is temporary—if your performance and professionalism are strong enough to force people to remember you, and remember, as Zvi Katabi would always say, ” When you are sleeping, someone else is training…”.
Additional reading:
Athlete’s rights:
Employment opportunities
Athlete’s rights:
Employment opportunities