Anathan Pham, better known as Ana, is another professional gamer who has amassed a multi-million-dollar fortune from playing Dota 2.

The quiet Australian was part of the all-conquering OG team that clinched back-to-back TI titles in 2018 and 2019.

He officially retired in 2021, and although he has only played sporadically since then, he remains one of the most financially successful gamers.

Here we chart Ana’s career, explore how he climbed to the top of professional esports, and look at what he’s been doing since walking away.

Ana’s real name is Anathan Pham. He was born in Melbourne, Australia, on October 26, 1999, which makes him 25 years old at the time of writing.

He moved to China as a 16-year-old with ambitions of becoming a professional Dota 2 player and turned that dream into reality.

After winning the NEA Beijing 2016 with Invictus Gaming, he joined team OG and secured The Boston Major 2016.

He tasted victory in The Kiev Major 2017, before OG hit the headlines by winning The International in 2018, and then defending it the following year.

Ana took mini-breaks after reaching this pinnacle of esports competition, before formally announcing his retirement in 2021. He has made only a handful of appearances since then.

The most accurate estimate of Ana’s net worth focuses on the $6.02 million he has earned from tournament winnings during his career. 

More than $5 million came from the back-to-back wins in The International, the world championship of Dota 2, which came in 2018 and 2019.

The vast majority of Ana’s wealth is believed to come from tournament winnings during his six years playing professional esports. According to Esports Earnings, he made a total of $6.02 million from 26 tournaments between 2016 and 2022.

Remarkably, he had won $604,739 in cash prizes from 15 events before he turned 18, but then saw his wealth soar from OG’s back-to-back TI wins.

He earned almost $2.3 million in 2018 and approximately $3.2 million the following year, before a lack of appearances led to winnings dropping to $4,000 in 2021 and $20,000 in 2022.

It’s also presumed that Ana earned a decent salary while part of the OG team, although actual figures haven’t been disclosed. Top esports players can earn between $12,000 and $187,200 annually, according to a report from the Influencer Marketing Hub. 

However, it doesn’t appear that Ana was ever an active streamer, which is where many gamers earn money, nor has he offered his own merchandise for sale.

There is no publicly available information on business ventures or investments. 

Ana was born in Melbourne, Australia, on 26 October 1999. An enthusiastic gamer from a young age, he grew up in a supportive environment.

In a revealing YouTube profile, Ana’s family recall how he was a shy youngster who struggled to get up in time for school after mammoth sessions at the screen.

The teenage superstar was playing Dota 2 for up to 10 hours every day before moving to Shanghai, China, over Christmas 2015 to pursue his dream of playing professionally. While this was a courageous decision for the then 16-year-old, it proved to be a masterstroke as he was soon playing in the CDEC in-house league.

He then joined Invictus Gaming and secured his first major win, at NEA Beijing 2016, for which he earned $24,000. This is the point where his career truly took off.

Ana’s meteoric rise from an unknown wannabe player to a teenage prodigy saw him recruited by the OG team in 2016.

On a Facebook post at the end of August 2016, OG declared that it was the “start of a new chapter” and welcomed Ana as the newest member of the family.

It stated: “Ana has dedicated himself to the game, spending time honing his skill on the Invictus Gaming roster. The young blood is ready to take on the west and will complete our lineup.”

In a subsequent article by Red Bull focusing on the new roster, Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein likened the process of making a winning team to a jigsaw puzzle.

“I believe Ana is a piece that you can work with,” he said. “He’s not the new Miracle, he’s very much his own, unique piece.”

In a December 2016 interview with Fox Sports, Ana outlined what life was like as a member of the OG team.

He said: “A normal day would be to wake up and play Dota, go to the shops a few times a week and play about 6-8 hours of scrims (scrimmages) on most days, watch some videos, then go to sleep.”

While some internet warriors suggested he was overrated, others raved about his quiet, cerebral playing style and dubbed him the ‘God of Dota’. 

Ana earned 99% of his total prize money from the 22 tournaments he participated in under the OG team banner. This included $200,000 for winning The Boston Major 2016, which was his most significant victory at that point. He made a similar amount for The Kiev Major 2017.

However, his back-to-back victories in The Internationals of 2018 and 2019 cemented his reputation as a superstar and transformed his finances.

Not long after the 2019 TI victory, it was announced that Ana would be taking a break from the highest level of competition in 2020. 

However, by April 2021, OG announced his return to the roster. In a post on X, it declared: “When things go wrong and you’re unsure where to go next, the only source of sunlight that you feel like turning to is your friends. Your family. 

The ones that love and accept you for exactly who you are. 

Welcome back to OG, @anadota99.”

Unfortunately, his return wasn’t to last. In June 2021, he announced his official retirement from Dota.

In a subsequent interview, N0tail said Ana had “kind of burned out’ and “lost the motivation to play”. When attempts to make things work out failed, the team started looking to the future.

Ana has returned as a stand-in on a couple of occasions. These include joining Team Liquid at the Riyadh Masters 2022. He also agreed to play for Royal Never Give Up (RNG) at the PGL Arlington Major in the same year.

In June 2022, on his official X account, Ana put up a poll to help him decide where to focus his attention. However, he’s been very quiet since.

Ana has kept an extremely low profile since his official retirement from the OG team back in 2021 and is rarely on social media.

As a result, very little is known about his lifestyle or spending habits. However, he’s always been shy and preferred to keep himself away from the limelight.

Ana agreed to play with TNC Predator at the WeSave! Charity Play event in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

He was recruited as a stand-in for Gabbi, who was apparently unable to compete due to internet issues. TNC Predator announced the news on X (formerly Twitter). 

Separately, it’s unclear whether Ana supports any particular charitable organisations. 

His net worth compares very favourably. In fact, Ana is the fourth most successful esports competitor in terms of winnings, according to Esports Earnings.

His $6.02 million haul puts him behind Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein on $7.2 million, Jesse ‘JerAx’ Vainikka on $6.5 million, and Yaroslav ‘Miposhka’ Naidenov with $6.2 million.

Unsurprisingly, Ana is the number one-ranked Australian gamer in terms of earnings, having amassed almost $4 million more than Damien ‘kpii’ Chok, who occupies second spot.

Anathan Pham’s time competing at the top level of competitive gaming may have been relatively short, but no one can deny it was successful. The shy Australian moved to China at the age of 16 to pursue his dream of playing Dota 2 professionally. And the brave decision paid off as the esports sensation had won a staggering $6 million by the time he officially retired in 2021.

While it doesn’t seem likely that we’ll see Ana playing elite-level games any time soon, his remarkable story shows what’s possible with talent, bravery and determination.