GX ISMA on his performance: "I still feel the need to prove myself"

With a 2-0 week capped by an upset victory over , the underdogs of have secured their LEC 2026 Summer Playoffs spot and now sit at 4-3. Once again proving themselves capable of punching above expectations, the team are firmly establishing themselves in the upper half of the standings and forcing Europe to take notice. With and still ahead, however, GIANTX have little time to rest as they now look to secure a top-four finish and a potential trip to Madrid.

Following the win over the league’s reigning champions, jungler sat down with Sheep Esports to discuss GIANTX’s recent form, his own evolution in the LEC, and what keeps him motivated as he continues to chase his ambitions.

Ismaïl "ISMA" Boualem: “I’m doing quite great—very happy, even if today wasn’t the best series of the year. We won; that’s the most important. Neither team played very well, but it’s normal—everyone has off days.

ISMA: I’m definitely happy—very happy, but as you said, we just need to keep focusing on ourselves and what’s next. It’s nice that we won and qualified for playoffs, but the split isn’t done yet. There’s a bit of relief, but nothing more.

ISMA: I’m not sure. We prepared the series like we usually do and came in wanting to show our best level. G2 has been playing a bit worse recently, but they are still a very good team—one of the best in Europe. But yeah, we were focused on ourselves and what we’d bring rather than who we were facing.

ISMA: The mood is good; everyone is getting along quite well. We’re all focused on improving, and the office is still really funny due to and ’s presence. So everything is going quite well for us.

ISMA: I think so; it was necessary. and are still very good players, but I think we explored everything the previous lineup had to offer. Regarding our new roster, I don’t really feel like we’ve gone through a honeymoon period—everyone is just working hard as they usually do.

ISMA: I would be really happy to go to Madrid so that I can meet the GIANTX fans again. The organization has a lot of passionate Spanish fans, and it’s always nice to play in front of them. But right now, we’ve just focused on our level rather than results. I would obviously like to be one best-of-five away from Worlds, but we don’t want to focus on placements in the regular season.

ISMA: It would be insane. It would be... It’s my goal; it would be crazy. But I don’t think about it right now because we’re very far from it. Not so far, but still very far. We have to play better, so I think more about how to play better rather than playing at Worlds, even if it is the dream of any esports player.

ISMA: They’re two mid-table teams. They’re good teams, but they’re beatable—very beatable even. I don’t care about who I’m playing against; at least I’m trying not to. I try to focus more on myself, try to play well, etc. Today, I didn’t play very well against G2, for example, but it happens, and we move on.

ISMA: I definitely still feel the need to prove that I can play well, that I can be one of the best. Still, I’m happy with my evolution, even if I’d like to do more—way more.

Compared to my time with SK, I think I’ve improved a ton, but I can and I have to improve a lot if I want to be one of the best. That’s the goal. I’m happy, but I wouldn’t say I’m satisfied.

The most important thing is that I really enjoy going to the office, playing my games, scrims, etc. I feel like this is really something I enjoy. It’s my dream career, at least right now. That’s the main thing, and I also try to play better every week.

I’m a bit annoyed about what I showed against G2. I didn’t play very well. But we won, and it was against G2 as well, so it’s nice.

ISMA: No, I don’t really care about that. I’m only looking at the split. We’ll see; I don’t have a contract yet for next year, but I don’t really care. I’m telling myself that if I’m truly good, I’ll find a team regardless. Right now we’re in a good spot in the standings, so I’m only looking at that. I don’t care about which team I’ll be in next year. I’m only looking at the present.

ISMA: I’m a naturally really stressed person, even on a daily basis. Since it’s a thing that has affected me a lot in the past, I’ve worked on it. I still do feel quite stressed at times, but it’s also part of the job. Being a pro means having expectations, even if I don’t think that I’m part of a team that has much pressure looming over it.

I always tell myself that I’m a pro player, many people would like to do this job, and it’s my dream job, so I consider that I shouldn’t complain. I just try to do my best and take advantage of the luck that I have, because many would give a lot to do this job. Of course, it’s a bit stressful, but you have to get results.

That’s how I see it. So yeah, it’s a bit stressful, but I’m really happy to do this job. Every day, when I get to the office, my job is to go to the PC and play LoL. Obviously I’m exaggerating a bit, but it’s close to that, so I can’t complain really. I just do my best.”