Mareks "YEKINDAR" Galinskis has claimed his career-first HLTV x 1xBet MVP award after FURIA's 3-2 grand-final win over Nemiga at PGL Masters Bucharest 2026.
Event numbers
- Overall rating: 1.27 (second at the event; zorte led at 1.31)
- Grand final: 1.56 — HLTV describes it as having "dwarfed everyone on the server"
Playoffs — where the MVP was decided
- Rating: 1.37 (first)
- Damage per round: 91.6 (first)
- Kills per round: 0.82 (first)
- Opening kills per round: 0.18 (joint-first)
- Round swing: +3.42% (first)
Why the award, not zorte
zorte posted the higher overall event rating (1.31 vs 1.27), but YEKINDAR carried the deeper run — through QF, SF and the grand final itself — on the way to the trophy. The playoffs leaderboard is where the MVP tipped in his direction.
Career context
YEKINDAR has been active at the top level since 2015 and has sat on multiple finalist rosters without an MVP. Bucharest 2026 is his first-ever MVP trophy.
Quote
To HLTV's BanKs after the final: "You know the term, life tournament? Don't expect this every tournament."
Source: HLTV.org — /news/45871/yekindar-wins-career-first-mvp-at-pgl-masters + /news/45872/yekindar-finding-strength-to-overcome-all-the-doubts-was-something-very-important-for-me
