Streamer Roman "RAMZES666" Kushnaryov stated that Team Spirit's triumph at The International 2021 was due in large part to Alexander "TORONTOTOKYO" Herteka. He recalled a moment during the team's internal talks when the squad was under immense pressure, and praised TORONTOTOKYO for stepping up and taking responsibility when it mattered most.
Kushnaryov also commented on comparisons between players. He acknowledged that one of their opponents, Skiter, has shown for the past two or three years that he can be stronger, but insisted that TORONTOTOKYO's influence was crucial for Team Spirit's success. In his words, if TORONTOTOKYO had not pushed his ideas and taken the lead, it was far from certain that Spirit would have won The International.
Kushnaryov described the emotional state of the team during the series: after the swings of 2:0 and then 2:2, the players were extremely nervous heading into the fifth game, and TORONTOTOKYO essentially assumed command and guided the team through that decisive moment.
For context, The International 2021 took place from October 7 to 17 in Bucharest, Romania. Team Spirit emerged as the champion, defeating PSG.LGD in the grand final with a 3:2 scoreline. After the victory, carry Ilya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk spoke about the aftermath, saying that for the first month or two he didn’t know what to do next and felt a strong emptiness following the achievement.