More nervous and proud than ever before, César and Katy, Iván “
Razork” Martín Diaz's parents, tell us how their son became a professional eSports player, before playing in the
LEC 2024 Season Finals in Munich. From what Ivan was like as a child, to the uncertainty caused by their son's career path and the acceptance of his career choice or the surprise it has been to see all the support their son receives from the fans. In this exclusive
League of Legends interview we show the development of a player from the, sometimes forgotten, point of view of his parents.
Let's start chronologically: What was Iván like when he was younger? Has he always been a fan of videogames?
Katy (Mum): Iván has always been a fan of the typical consoles, like for example the GameBoy. Since he was a little boy. He was quite fond of the GameBoy Color and many other similar consoles. I remember that at first the console didn't have light and then a new model with light came out. From that point on, he would stay up late at night with the little machine for countless hours. He was pretty much damaging his eyesight, but he didn't care. The truth is that he has always been very interested in electronic games, since a very young age.
I'm guessing that at some point he decided to buy a computer himself.
Katy (Mom): No, he didn't buy it. My parents gave it to him as a gift when he received his first communion. It was a rather basic computer. It didn't even have a mouse. Well, it had a touchpad, but no mouse on the side. It was back then when he started downloading his first video games on the computer, but I honestly don't remember the names. From that moment on, everything revolved around video games. At some point, we bought him a better computer for his birthday, and the rest is history. A lot of time has been invested into little games since then...
I would dare to say that all of us, who have been gamers at some point, have gone through the same thing. Our parents always scolding us because we played for too long, the loud talking, the yelling, etc... How did you deal with the fact that he was so involved in the subject and that he might stop doing other things like sports or any other hobbies in order to spend more time playing on the computer?
Katy (Mom): At the very beginning it was difficult. I mean he was just a little kid. He couldn't have been more than 13 or 14 years old, when he already spent most of his day in his room in front of the computer. All the time playing video games, of course. Like any other parent would, we tried to make him comprehend that there was more to life, outside of his bedroom. He hardly had any social life, because he spent the whole day at home in front of the computer. It's not like he had no friends, but he didn't hang out with them much. The truth is that it wasn't easy.
César (Dad): Those were hard times, indeed.
Katy (Mum): It was not just the fact that he was in front of the computer. We were worried about his health. His eyesight, the stress, being in front of the computer all day long.
César (Dad): His hearing too.
Katy (Mum): The headphones on for endless hours. I don't think that's good for anyone. I mean, not for my child, nor for anyone else's. It wasn't easy for us. We had to endlessly tell him to leave the computer. We even hid the computer from him and turned off the router a few times. We would turn it off and hide it, so that he couldn't play. We were worried about him. Mainly for his health. But at some point you come to the realisation that he spent so many hours playing this one game, which we later found out was League of Legends, that you end up accepting that it's what he likes and that he does it out of pure passion.
I'm guessing that there is turning point when it becomes more than just a game and it's no longer just for fun. I don't know if he was the one who got in touch with someone from a team or vice versa, but Razork started competing when he was quite young, only 17 years old, isn't it?
Katy (Mum): He still wasn't 17 even.
Razork started his career as a professional player in the Spanish league at a young age.
He debuted in the second division of the Spanish League, didn't he?
César (Dad): Yes, he debuted playing for Heretics.
Was that the moment it struck you that this was a serious matter and that Ivan wanted to pursue a career as a profesional player?
Katy (Mum): Well, as I mentioned before, it was hard to accept it, because it was something very unknown to us. This is not a traditional sport. It is not something that we could understand right away. We didn't understand this could be a profession, a job that our son wanted to pursue. Maybe due to our ignorance we thought that this job offered no future, that it was not a true job. We didn't understand that it could be something that could be positive for our son, you know? Everyone wants happiness and wellbeing for their children. That's why, at the beginning, due to our lack of knowledge, we were hesitant. But after the staff from Giants came home and they explained the whole thing to us, we began to understand it. Ivan had already tried to explain it to us a million times: "Mom, dad; this is what I like, this is what I want to do." And we would tell him: "Son, but what will your future be like if you follow this path?" He obviously couldn't continue with his studies. He finished high school, but he couldn't keep on studying, because it was not compatible with the schedules they imposed on him. I remember asking him: "Ivan, you spend 10-12 hours in front of a computer. What about your studies?" But when Giants approached us and explained it to us, it's not like we gave in and let him do whatever he wanted to, but in the end it's his life, his decision and his job. Once you understand it, you give it a second thought. If he wants to do this and he likes it, then go ahead! It's his dream, his future. It's what he wants to become, as if he wanted to become an electrician or a plumber, or anything else.
César (Dad): At the beginning we completely refused. We continuously told him no and you could clearly see he was traumatized... He looked shattered to pieces, completely shattered. He really wanted to continue with this. But, we, out of ignorance, refused. Every time we took the computer away from him, we could see that he felt devastated.
Katy (Mum): He has always had a clear picture of what he wanted and he knew exactly what his priorities were. In fact, back when he was a substitute in Giants, Germán from Giants told us that if he failed any subject in high school, Ivan could not continue on the team. And whenever he failed a subject, he himself uninstalled the game, without anyone asking him to. You could see that he was aware of his situation. He knew he was focusing on just one thing and leaving behind some studies that could be useful for him in the long run. He was aware of what he was doing, but we were caught off guard. One day he would be interviewed, the next day he would appear on TV, and at the same time he was leaving his studies. Any step he took was unknown to us. But then you accept that it's real, that it exists, that it's a job, that it's his dream, his illusion, and we told him to: go for it!
Both sides of the story are understandable. It's all about balance and finding what's right for you. E-sports are a very new activity, so it's very difficult to weigh the pros and cons at the beginning. Still, Razork started playing for Giants and that's when it all became formalized and he started to establish himself in the scene. First, he became known within Spain and started to stream from time to time from home. Hence your famous clip, César. How did you deal with these changes? What did you think about him getting in front of a camera and having people watch from their home? Did you understand what he was doing?
César (Dad): I didn't even know.
Katy (Mum): I did know, but I didn't understand completely what was he up to.
César (Dad): Total ignorance, we didn't understand.
When he started playing for Giants he had to move to Málaga. But they did find success, right?
César (Dad): Yes, it was a big blow for us. I think he stayed in Giants for about two or three years.
Ivan was quite successful in the Spanish regional league. He didn't manage to win the Superliga the first time, but he ended up winning it along with Antonio and Denyk, among others. Once he started getting results, did you see him calmer or even more eager to go higher?
Katy (Mum): He looked happy. He was happy to have achieved what he had dreamed of, what he had been fighting for. It had always been clear to him, from the very beginning. He felt very comfortable at Giants, both with the team and the environment. But it is true that he always aspired to go further and promote into the LEC.
César (Dad): To the very top he once told me. He told me: “I will get to the LEC and I will be the best at my job.” No hesitation. "I'm in no hurry", he told me. But what do you mean by, “I'm not in a hurry”, I asked him. And he answered me: “There are people, Dad, who want to go very fast and then they fail spectacularly. I want to stay there, at the very top." And for the moment, I must say that he has kept his word. He had that cristal clear. He was in no hurry, he wanted to go step by step.
Razork winning the Superliga along his teammates in Giants
In fact, he didn't debut in a team that was considered to be a "top" team at the time. He started playing for Misfits and they had pretty good results.
César (Dad): They were our rabbits [laughs].
It wasn't easy for him to move to Berlin, being used to life in Spain. I guess it was complicated both for him and for you. But he has effectively stayed in the LEC, since he started playing for Fnatic and hasn't moved from there.
Cati (Mum): He has been with Fnatic for three years now.
Did you feel less worried if he had certain teammates with whom he had a closer relationship or who acted as mentors for him, especially when he was younger?
Katy (Mum): I don't think so particularly. I think that, regardless of where Iván was, the team he played for and the teammates he had, he always got along very well with everyone. Ivan is not only very sociable, but he is also a very good person. He is very conformist in certain aspects too, especially socially. He has that know-how and is not a friend of conflicts or criticism.
César (Dad): He always keeps his distance, following his own path.
Katy (Mum): He doesn't care about criticism, or whether you play better or worse. So, I think he has gotten along pretty well with all of his teammates. He has never had any problems.
César (Dad): In my opinion, he is admired and respected even by players and fans of opposing teams. Yesterday, for example, he did this thing that impacted me. We had some acquaintances who wanted to take a picture with him, and he said, excuse me dad, I have some people here waiting for me and he ran to take a picture with those fans. It's those little things that make you realize how thoughtful he is. He has a smile to offer for everyone and it comes naturally to him, he doesn't have to force it. Yesterday we got to see how people were waiting to take a picture with my son, and Iván was delighted to do it.
Katy (Mum): It feels like it was yesterday when we woke him up in the morning and took him to school holding hands! And look now!
César (Dad): It's at these events that you realize that he always responds with a smile. Yesterday we even listened to an audio that some Japanese fans had sent to Iván. I was very surprised by what we saw yesterday, specially by Razork's fame, so as to say, because for us he is still just Iván. We were kind of perplexed, to be honest.
I believe this part of Ivan's personality showed up even more when, last year, in Fnatic, they had bad results during a couple of splits. Teammates changed, there was a lot of uncertainty regarding the future, but I think he never had any problems that he couldn't find a solution for with any of his teammates. He mentioned in an interview with Marca, that at that time he felt he had to put in more work, step up and take the leadership of the team himself, but he never had any problems.
Katy(Mum): He never had any problems, only that these kind of situations push you to work harder and learn from the failures or mistakes of those splits. As far as taking the lead...well, we don't really know... I think that is a decision of the team and his, of course.
On another note, I guess that you must be devastated. In the last two years Fnatic has qualified for four finals, being the LEC Season Finals final the fourth one, and so far they have lost the last three.
César (Dad): Yeah, it's definitely not the best streak we've been on. I think they lost all of them against G2, their worst nightmare for the moment.
Have you ever seen him more sad or distressed than usual? For example, the last final against G2 ended 3-0, but in the three games they were very close to winning.
Katy(Mum): Obviously, after a defeat, no matter what, you're hurt. But that's the way it is. Your team gives its all, fights, works and tries hard, but that same day there is someone who does something extra and in the last minute, they score a goal! [Laughs] As little as we can understand about this world, I can only tell you that they must feel satisfied and proud of the work they are doing, and that defeats teach you to improve yourself. At the end of the day, every effort has its reward!
Finally, I would like to ask you about international events. Your son has been to Korea, China, Mexico, United States, Saudi Arabia... Are you surprised by these trips and the magnitude of these events?
Katy (Mum): Nothing surprises me anymore. In fact, I am very proud of what he is achieving or what they are achieving as a team. I am no longer surprised.
César (Dad): Particularly him. The truth is that surprises me and excites me what he is achieving.
Katy (Mum): Being so young and having such aspirations and such achievements... I am very happy, I am very happy with what he is doing.
César(Dad): We are very proud.
