BIG have officially signed Pavle “Maden” Bošković to BIG Academy, where the 27-year-old will transition into the in-game leader role. The move marks a change in direction for Maden after years of competing primarily as a rifler at the highest level.
He becomes the final piece of the academy lineup and will work with recently appointed coach Daniel “sprayxd” Kogan.
Maden begins transition to IGL role
BIG announced the signing on October 9, describing Maden as the final addition to the academy roster.
The final puzzle piece to our Academy 🧩
As part of his transition to IGL’ing, @madennCS will be joining BIG Academy 🧠
Full statement below 👇 https://t.co/2WvdnVMgx2
— BIG (@BIGCLANgg) October 9, 2026
Maden explained that his recent career period had not developed as he wanted and that he had been considering a move into leadership for some time.
“The last period of my career hasn’t gone the way I wanted, so I’ve decided to take a new path.”
The former ENCE and Falcons player said leading a team is something he has wanted to try for a long time, with BIG Academy giving him an opportunity to build a system around a young roster.
Maden will now be responsible for calling while helping develop four younger players in the lineup.
BIG back Maden in new role
Roman “Roman R.” Reinhardt, Chief Gaming Officer at BIG, said Maden had other opportunities to continue playing at a high level but specifically wanted to pursue a career as an IGL.
According to Reinhardt, the academy gives Maden an environment where he can gain experience as a captain while sharing his experience with younger players.
Maden brings years of international experience from teams including ENCE, Falcons and fnatic.
His most recent contract was with fnatic. He was moved to the bench in March before becoming a free agent the following month and later briefly playing with the illwill mix.
BIG Academy complete leadership changes
The signing follows another recent change inside BIG Academy.
sprayxd joined as head coach after Timo “Spiidi” Richter left the position to focus on his academic path.
Maden will lead a lineup featuring 16-year-old Nikolas “Hrdina” Hutira and 19-year-old Anton “doni” Savienkov, alongside Asim “aZe” Khodzhaev and the more experienced David “prosus” Hesse.
The move gives BIG Academy a new IGL and coach at the same time as the organization continues developing the current generation of players.
BIG Academy roster
BIG Academy now consist of:
- Pavle “Maden” Bošković
- David “prosus” Hesse
- Anton “doni” Savienkov
- Asim “aZe” Khodzhaev
- Nikolas “Hrdina” Hutira
- Daniel “sprayxd” Kogan — coach
