Rekkles parted ways with T1 CL to deal with personal challenges

Rekkles said joining T1 only temporarily "paused" his personal struggles, even as the team won this year's Worlds.

On Thursday night (November 13), T1 Academy support player and European League of Legends (LoL) star Martin "Rekkles" Larsson announced his departure from T1 CL shortly before the start of the 2025 season. The news was announced just 11 days after T1's historic victory at the 2024 League of Legends World Finals, where they won their fifth championship with a 3-2 victory over Bilibili Gaming in the finals.

Showing their gratitude, T1 paid tribute to the European player's contributions in a farewell message on their official X account: "Today, we part ways with Rekkles by mutual agreement. We sincerely thank him for deciding to start a new career in Korea and for his dedication throughout the past year. T1 will continue to support him in the coming journey."

Rekkles was invited by T1 CEO Becker Jung to join the T1 Challengers roster in 2023. Since joining T1 in December 2023, he spent the 2024 season playing on the organization's Challengers roster.

At Worlds 2024, he joined the T1 squad as a substitute. Despite not having the opportunity to compete at Worlds, documentaries about T1 at Worlds 2024 have shown Rekkles' enthusiastic support for the organization and their main roster.

Rekkles shared a heartfelt message on his social media platforms along with the announcement of his departure from T1.

This news surprised many fans, especially after T1's recent victory at Worlds. Rekkles shared his reasons, shedding light on the personal difficulties he faced when coming to Korea.

“When I received the invitation from Becker last year to go to Korea and try out for the LCK CL team, my spirit was not good,” he explained. “I was recently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, and combined with a family accident and a difficult few years since leaving Fnatic in 2020, I was struggling. Because of this, I was leaning towards taking a break from racing for the 2024 season.”

However, the opportunity to play for a top organization like T1, the most successful organization in League of Legends Esports, was an opportunity that Rekkles could not pass up. However, he said joining T1 only temporarily "paused" his personal difficulties.

“Now, I believe the time has come to tackle those challenges, and to do that, I need to be in Sweden close to my family,” he continued, expressing his need to return home to prioritize his health. your health.

Despite leaving T1, Rekkles intends to continue playing professionally in League of Legends. “Fortunately, I received an offer that will allow me to continue playing professionally in the 2025 season from my home country,” he shared, adding: “In League of Legends terms, I am finally now able to perform a 'recall'—the opportunity to return, restore health and mana, purchase essential items, and upgrade skills before returning to the map.”

Looking back on his journey, Rekkles said: “I left home in 2013 when I was only 16 years old, and now, almost 12 years later, at the age of 28, I have the opportunity to do it again.”

For him, this move is about prolonging his career: “I want to play as long as possible, and when I envision the years ahead, I realize that this change can help that goal become a reality. . Sustainability is extremely important to me at this stage of my career.”

Although his next move has yet to be confirmed, Rekkles expressed gratitude for T1 and his experience in Korea.

“I will always be grateful for my time at T1, not only for the experience but also for the way it helped me grow as a player and a person. Coming to Korea without experience in this role or knowing the language was a challenge, but T1 believed in me.”

Thanking those who supported him, he continued: “I want to thank my teammates, coaches and staff at T1 HQ for helping me, and all the fans for supporting us. It's an honor to wear the T1 shirt.”