GIANTX Pride has established itself as the best Spanish team throughout this Summer Split in the Superliga Dominos. We sat down with Antonio "Th3Antonio" Espinosa to discuss the key elemets to obtain this success, his transition from player to coach, and the relationship he maintains with the main team on the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC).

How's everything going? How does it feel to be back on stage?

Antonio "Th3Antonio" Espinosa: "I'm really excited, to be honest. Even though this time I'm coming in as a coach and not as a player. It’s a completely different experience, because I think that you suffer more watching the games from the outside than when you’re part of the team. Over the years everyone told me that it was worse to watch than to play, and it turns out it’s true—when you’re on stage you feel like you have more control over what’s happening. But overall, I’m happy and motivated.

Speaking of this transition, you retired from being a player and then came back as a coach. How did the idea of becoming part of the coaching staff come about? Are you happy with the decision?

Th3Antonio: It was kind of improvised, because I had never planned to be a coach. I retired, I was doing GIANTX co-streams, just minding my own business. But since I was watching so many games—I covered every single GIANTX match both in the LEC and Superliga—I started getting all these ideas like, “If I were there, I’d tell them this”, or “This needs to be done differently.” I guess it just happened naturally. One day, Jose—the owner and CEO of GIANTX—was watching one of the co-streams, as he usually does with Lozark (David Alonso Vicente), and they suggested I'd try out coaching this Summer Split in the Superliga. They told me to come along and help however I could. So I thought, why not give it a try? I had never really considered it. I once even joked, “If I was the coach there, I’d win.” Obviously, no disrespect to FearlessS (José Miguel Pinto Lima dos Santos), but I do think having someone to help makes a big difference.

Normally, a coaching staff has at least two or three people, but in this case FearlessS was completely alone. He was overwhelmed, because he had so many responsibilities. The poor guy was doing absolutely everything, so giving lending him a hand felt like the right thing to do. In fact, he himself asked for help. So everything aligned perfectly—he needed help, Jose brought it up, I joked about it… the stars kind of aligned.

This Summer Split has been outstanding for you guys. What do you think it comes down to, and what role have you played in GIANTX’s success in winning the Superliga?

Th3Antonio: Honestly, everything has gone very smoothly. The split has been amazing so far. But we still have the Final Four and EMEA Masters ahead. Regarding my role, it’s like I was telling Phil the other day—it kind of “sucks” in a way that a coach’s work can’t really be measured. What impact have I truly had? Obviously, I’ve done plenty of things that I could list, but how much of that has directly influenced the results? That’s impossible to know. It’d be great if we could go back in time, remove me from the equation, and see how far the team would’ve gotten without me. But you can’t do that.

With players, it’s easy to measure—you see if they’re playing well, getting kills, making flashy plays. But how do you measure a coach’s contribution? What’s he doing? What’s he bringing to the table? It’s very hard to quantify it. So honestly, I’ve just been doing a bit of everything: helping with drafts, game strategies, some individual improvements, some suggestions about the mindset and communication adjustments…a bit of everything really.

What would you change about the ERL system now that the EMEA Masters is coming up? There’s a lot of debate about it in social media. Do you have any improvements in mind? For example, in VALORANT there’s Ascension, which lets you qualify directly.

Th3Antonio: I’ve always said there should be more connection between Tier 2 and Tier 1. For example, it’d be great if the winner of EMEA Masters could somehow play for a chance to move up to the LEC. It would be extremely difficult—you’d have to finish top 2 or 3 in your own league and then win EMEA Masters. That’s already a huge challenge. But getting to the final should definitely have some reward—like a qualification match for LEC or something similar. Tier 2 and Tier 1 need to be linked somehow.

I think it would be amazing, because it would motivate ERL players to try harder—the idea that one day they can reach the LEC off of their own achievements. Not to mention, the amazing storylines that would come up from that. Imagine an underdog team, in which no one believed, suddenly making it to the LEC. That would be incredible.

Do you think that LEC teams will look at GIANTX's players or staff during this upcoming offseason?

Th3Antonio: They should. Because honestly, when I compare some of these players to certain LEC players… For example, I’d say Lospa is better than six or seven LEC supports. Feisty is better than at least three LEC midlaners. Each of our players would be an upgrade in their respective positions—maybe for some more than others, but all of them deserve a shot. Obviously, we haven’t won anything yet—we still have the Final Four and EMEA Masters—but if none of these players end up in the LEC next year, then someone in the LEC is definitely not doing their job correctly.

Since you’re the academy team, do you keep in touch regularly with the main team on the LEC? Do you do any activities together? What’s your relationship with them like?

Th3Antonio: The main interaction we have is pretty much direct questions—matchups, meta, macro, some draft-related stuff. We don't usually play against each other. For example, FearlessS talks a lot with Nico (GX LEC Assistant Coach) about everything related to the team. They also give us access to all their scrims, which is super useful.

What advice would you give to young players who aspire to go pro but are currently in the amateur scene or just starting to play LoL?

Th3Antonio: Becoming a professional—whether it is in LoL, football, or anything else—is extremely hard. Very few people make it. But if you really want it, you have to act accordingly. Take it seriously—practice, dedicate countless hours watching major leagues, studying the game, grinding SoloQ. Don’t treat it as just a hobby. If you want to be a pro, you need to act like one.

That means putting in a lot of hours, and making a lot of sacrifices—time with friends, family, all of that. Because the truth is, tons of people want this, so you have to work harder than anyone else. And if you also have the luck and the talent, then eventually you’ll make it. It’s tough, but the only way is to put in the hours, take it very seriously, study and work hard. That’s all you can do.

Any final message for your fans?

Th3Antonio: Thank you so much for following and supporting me. Nothing special—just, as always, thank you very much."