Former SKT T1 star Mata announces retirement from pro League of Legends
Popular Korean League of Legends star Cho ‘Mata’ Se-hyeong has announced his retirement from competitive play ahead of the 2020 season.
The popular Support player has had a storied career in League of Legends, redefining the way his role was played and winning multiple titles in both the LCK and LPL as well as Worlds under Samsung Galaxy White in 2014.
Despite winning yet another regional title in Spring during his time under SK Telecom T1 during the 2019 season, Mata revealed that his time as a competitor has come to its end.
Mata competed alongside the SKT T1 roster during Worlds 2019.Many fans already had questions in recent months about what was in store for Mata’s future after learning that he was moved to the substitute position in place of Effort ahead of the 2019 World Championship.
Following SKT’s defeat to G2 Esports in the semi-finals at Worlds 2019, they announced that their contract with Mata had ended on November 19, leaving him as a free agent during the off-season.
“We highly appreciate what he has brought with us this year and wish him the best of luck for his new journey,” T1’s Twitter posted, revealing the departure of the support star.
Hello, this is T1.
We have ended our contract with Mata.
We highly appreciate what he has brought with us this year and wish him the best of luck for his new journey. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/nk4MsKWWAi— T1 LoL (@T1LoL) November 19, 2019
However, now that the roster moves have finally been confirmed, Mata announced his retirement in a Facebook post and highlighted some of his career’s best moments.
The popular support player expressed thanks to all of his former teammates and organizations he played alongside during his years as a competitor and thanked the fans for all of the support they had shown him over the years.
“After all the hard work, I’ve finished my career as a pro gamer,” the former SKT T1 pro admitted, “Although winning was a great way to increase your money and career, It was good to be able to feel more fans’ attention and support.”
It remains unclear what could be next for the legendary support star, however, it is likely that many of his fans would hope to see him transition to a coaching role, as many players have done in the past.