Veteran European player Carl Martin ‘Rekkles’ Larsson has made his way to South Korea this off-season as T1 Esports has confirmed his move to the team.
Rekkles is a 27-year-old veteran bot lane player from Sweden who has a long history in the region. He joined Fnatic in 2012 and was heralded as a bright star, but couldn’t initially play in the top-flight European league due to his age.
In 2014, Rekkles was allowed to play in the EU LCS and started making a name for himself with the organization. He qualified for the League of Legends World Championship six times and won a handful of domestic titles with Fnatic. During his time as a pro Rekkles did leave Fnatic for other teams like G2 Esports and Alliance.
However, he always returned and 2023 was no different as the player returned to Fantic after a stint with G2 and Karmine Copr as an ADC before eventually switching to support. Fnatic announced in April that Rekkles would no longer be a starter for the team, and he eventually left the team in October.
In the off-season, Rekkles announced that he was a free agent and open to a move abroad. Reports linked him to a surprise move to T1 Esports.
Rekkles officially joins T1 Esports
The report from Sheep Esports said Rekkles was signing with T1 as a player in their Academy team, formerly called T1 Challengers.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
T1 confirmed the move on December 11, announcing that Rekkles has signed with the team as a Support player.
LEC의 전설적인 ‘Rekkles’ Carl Martin Erik Larsson 선수가 T1 Esports Academy 팀에 서포터로 합류하게 되었습니다. 새로운 도전을 하는 ‘Rekkles’ Carl Martin Erik Larsson 선수에게 많은 응원과 관심 부탁드립니다! A LEC legend, 'Rekkles' has joined our T1 Esports Academy team as… pic.twitter.com/nJvU4ngJ6l
— T1 LoL (@T1LoL) December 11, 2023
“A LEC legend, ‘Rekkles’ has joined our T1 Esports Academy team as Support! Get ready to show your support as he starts his new journey!” T1 said on social media.
Rekkles isn’t the first European player to play for the South Korean squad in League of Legends, but he is the most recent, and prominent, to move to the region. He will compete in the LCK Challengers League, which is the Korean league’s secondary league that features rosters from all 10 LCK franchises.
“I want to come here. I know it’s going to be a long road ahead because there is a new language, new culture, new teammates, a lot to learn, and a new role as well… I will fight for this chance,” Rekkles said in T1’s announcement video for him.
Rekkles will technically have a shot at starting for the main T1 squad, however, he will have to out-perform Ryu “Keria” Min-Seok, who was an integral part of the team’s 2023 Worlds winning run and just re-signed with the team.