This article will go over some of the best players that have graced the European scene, but are no longer playing. It is not an official ranking and will not be followed up by a later ranking, it will merely serve as an editorial piece aimed to reminisce some great players.

1. Markus "Ferus" Stenmark

Generally accepted as being one of the best players to ever play the game, Markus came from Enemy Territory and rocked the scene completely. Playing alongside jon0o, url, HenryG and HaZ, he was one of the best aimers the EU scene has ever seen, and actually backed it up with gamesense as well. Although rumours say he is making a comeback for the next CGS draft, he hasn't been seen in CSS since he was removed due to being under the CGS age restrictions.

2. Quint "Blaze" Spierenburg

One of the most recent high profile players to retire, he went out at the top. Playing for fnatic, one of the top teams in Europe, Quint has always at the epitomé of his game, being one of the most consistent riflers in the scene. Recently quitting due to lack of motivation, he left his team in the very capable hands of ylSs.

3. Frank "Vivid" Leenaars

Anyone in the scene will know why Vivid quit, though I don't want that to be the focus of this article. Although the circumstances of his demise were upsetting, Frank was a remarkable player who deserves to be remembered for that. Back in the days when the current fnatic team were DigitalMind, Frank was one of the biggest fraggers in the team, and was incredibly consistent. Proving himself in numerous difficult situations and under pressure, he will be remembered as an amazing player.

4. Paul "HaGGiS" Ramsay

At one point -CSA- were considered one of, if not THE best team in Europe, and Paul played a large part in this. A great AWPer and an amazing all round aimer, Paul proved himself countless times to be a great player. Although CSA never really showed what they were capable of at LAN, there was never any realy question about his legitimacy, and he is generally considered to be a great player. Although he made a brief comeback with Liberty recently, they did not last any serious amount of time due to lack of commitment from players.

5. Mats "rootbeer" Jonsson

With a great resumé of teams, rootbeer is one of those players who gets overlooked quite often. Despite playing for riZe, Dragonality, Default and Team Sweden, people often forget how solid a player rootbeer was. However, his career was cut short due to real life commitments, and he hasn't been seen in the CSS scene for a long time now.

6. Tuomo "griLLi" Koriseva

One of the best in-game leaders Euro CSS has seen, griLLi led his team to becoming the best team in Europe for a long period of time. Through eL NiNo, Astralis, and finally to Insignia Cadre, griLLi managed to provide great tactics and leadership, while consistently putting the frags on the board simultaneously. Although he hasn't played for a while, griLLi is the type of player who can slot back into any team as if he never left.

7. Hemmo "albbis" Erkko

Having proved himself in numerous Finnish lineups over the past few years, as well as representing his country, albbis has shown himself to be a prolific fragger time after time. However, his gameplay was never limited to mere frags, as he has slotted himself into numerous top lineups and never looked out of place. A very easy player to work with, his natural chemistry as a player is glaringly obvious, and combined with his consistency it has earned him a place in this rank.

8. Martin "iNhu" Laanus

o2 were one of the few teams to ever gain real respect from the whole scene. With an amazing lineup and some of the most skilled players in the scene, Martin just topped it off. With amazing aim and rifle control, him and eKu really surprised Europe when they appeared, showing that they could compete with the best Europe had to offer. Unlike a lot of Eastern European teams, Oxygen also made the trip over to Western Europe for SLAP LAN #8, and Martin played just as he did online, solidifying his reputation as a great player.

9. Janne "Dsltr" Rajamaki

One of the most underhyped players of our time, Janne played for Logitech.fi for ages, and never got the exposure he deserved. Just like every player on this list, he was an incredibly consistent player, constantly getting the picks needed for both Logitech and tek-9 to gain the success they did. However, when Logitech.fi folded recently (before reforming with a new lineup), he quit at the peak of his game, and hasn't returned since.

10. Michael "Shift" Walker

The second, and final UK player to grace this list is none other than Shift. Playing for some of the best teams the UK have had (Zboard, 4K, Devastation, Dragonality and Reason Gaming), Shift is a great player. Although he never stood out as much as other players, he was incredibly consistent, and one of the corner stones of every team he played in.