T1 Academy’s support and substitute player Martin “Rekkles” Larsson is leaving the Korean organization before the start of the 2025 season.
Image Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
Rekkles is leaving T1 for personal reasons
The announcement came directly from the player himself who posted a message across various social media channels. Shortly after winning the 2024 world championship as a substitute player for T1, the news came as a surprise for many. Rekkles, however, shared the reasons why he made such a decision.
“When I received the offer from Becker last year to come to Korea and try out for the LCK CL team, I was not in a great place mentally,” he started. “I had recently been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, and combined with a family accident and a couple of tough years since leaving Fnatic in 2020, I was struggling. Because of this, I was actually leaning toward taking a break for the 2024 season.”
The chance to play for T1, the most decorated esports organization in LoL Esports, was too big of an opportunity for Rekkles. That said, joining the team didn’t fix the issues, it just ‘put them on hold’, according to the support player.
“Now, I believe it is time for me to address those challenges, and to do that, I need to be in Sweden close to my family,” he added.
Rekkles will continue to play competitively from home
According to the post, Rekkles will still continue to play professional League of Legends, having received an offer that allows him to play from home.
“I want to play for as long as possible, and when I imagine the years ahead, I realize this change could help make that goal achievable. Longevity is incredibly important to me at this stage of my career,” he stated.
While he didn’t reveal what his next chapter would look like, he expressed gratitude to T1 and the overall experience of living and playing in Korea: “I want to thank my teammates, coaches, and staff at T1 HQ for helping me along the way, and to all of our fans for supporting us. It has been an honor to wear the T1 badge.”