m0NESY Breaks Into Forbes Russia's Top 15 Athlete Rankings

Forbes Russia has ranked Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov among the country's most valuable athlete brands for 2026. The Counter-Strike 2 player for Team Falcons ranks 14th out of 30 athletes and is the only esports representative on the list, published on November 11.

At 21, m0NESY has reached his highest position since first appearing in the ranking in 2023. The Russian AWPer climbed ten places from 24th in 2025, with Forbes highlighting his competitive achievements, social media influence, and commercial partnerships.

m0NESY Ranks Ahead of Russian Tennis and Football Stars

The Falcons AWPer finished ahead of several established athletes, including tennis player Andrey Rublev, who ranks 15th, and veteran CSKA Moscow goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, who sits 19th. Fellow tennis player Karen Khachanov placed 22nd.

MMA fighter Islam Makhachev tops the ranking, followed by figure skaters Alexandra Trusova and Kamila Valieva. Tennis player Daniil Medvedev holds eighth place, while Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Matvey Safonov ranks fifth.

This marks m0NESY's fourth consecutive appearance on the Forbes list. He made his debut in 2023 at 28th, climbed to 17th in 2024, and dropped to 24th in 2025 before reaching 14th this year.

How Forbes Measures Athlete Brand Value

Despite the term "most valuable," the ranking does not measure athletes' net worth, salaries, or earnings. Instead, Forbes evaluates the strength of their personal brands and how attractive they are to potential sponsors and advertisers.

The study initially considered 318 athletes across 23 sports, using data collected between October 1, 2025, and October 1, 2026. Four weighted criteria determined the final ranking:

• Social media engagement (40%): audience interactions, including likes, comments, and shares.
• Audience size (30%): the number of followers across athletes' official social media accounts and channels.
• Social media popularity (20%): the number of mentions across Russian-language social media platforms.
• Media popularity (10%): the number of mentions in Russian news outlets.

According to Forbes, esports players still receive less coverage in the Russian professional media than athletes competing in sports such as chess. However, the publication notes that the size of the esports fan base and its high engagement levels allow leading players to compete with figure skating stars in terms of brand influence.

Cologne Major Win and Falcons Contract Extension

Among the achievements highlighted by Forbes are m0NESY's victory at the IEM Cologne Major 2026, his MVP award at the tournament, and five EVP (Exceptionally Valuable Player) honors earned at major events.

In June, Falcons defeated FURIA 3-0 in the IEM Cologne Major Grand Final, securing the organization's first Major title. m0NESY was named the tournament's MVP by HLTV after finishing the event with a 1.25 rating.

The player's growing profile has also been reflected in his career outside the server. In October, Falcons announced a contract extension keeping him with the organization through 2030. The Russian AWPer, who joined the Saudi organization in April 2025 from G2 Esports, committed to another four years with the team. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Forbes also highlighted m0NESY's partnership with Logitech G. The player became a brand ambassador in 2026 and is involved in developing gaming peripherals for competitive play, further expanding his commercial presence beyond professional tournaments.

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Featured Image Credit: BLAST Open

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