Serbian esports organization Aurora has unveiled the signing of Adil “ShaLun” Sovetov, an 8-year-old CS2 player from Kazakhstan, on September 19.
ShaLun has been playing Counter-Strike since he was five and a half years old, under the direct guidance of his father.
This year, specifically, ShaLun has made waves on social media with his highlights, which were shared by ESL and its third-party matchmaking platform FACEIT. He also attended PGL Astana 2025 and received recognition from a handful of pro players.
According to Aurora, ShaLun will receive mentorship from the organization and its famous Turkish roster, which features the likes of veterans İsmailсan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş, Özgür “woxic” Eker, and Engin “MAJ3R” Küpeli, and is one of the best CS2 teams in the world.
He will gain access to the club’s resources, mentorship from experienced CS2 players, and educational and technical support. The organization will also support his development outside of gaming by fostering discipline, exposing him to esports culture, and developing media skills.
The CEO of Aurora, Adalyat Mamedov, thinks that ShaLun has the potential to achieve great things in CS2 esports.
I think ShaLun is the best example that age isn’t important in esports. We’re giving him a team, mentors, and the right environment. After that, who knows – maybe he’ll soon be the guy in the highlights lifting a Major trophy and blowing up the internet.
donk, for example, joined Spirit when he was 14 years old. Credit: Stephanie Lindgren | © BLAST
By signing players at a young age, teams can take part in their development as players and human beings. Plus, if the player manages to reach the level necessary for competition, they can help the team to win championships down the road, like Danil “donk” Kryshkovets, or help the organization make a huge profit like Maksim “kyousuke” Lukin.
According to Aurora’s announcement, ShaLun is the youngest player in the org’s history and one of the youngest CS2 streamers in the world. It’s quite unusual that an esports organization signs a player this young, even at the age of academy teams.
But we’re seeing more and more teams starting to look at kids. Spirit, for example, is planning to build U12, U14, and two U16 divisions, just like football teams do.
That said, it’s highly unlikely that ShaLun will be able to attend tournaments anytime soon, as most players start competing when they’re 15 or 16 years old.
Feature image credit: © Aurora
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