Mata announces retirement

Dec 14, 2019

Mata announced that he will be retiring from professional League of Legends.

On the 15th (KST), Cho “Mata” Se-hyeong announced retirement through his Facebook account. After his last appearance against G2 Esports at the 2019 World Championship Semifinals, he became a free agent. However, he did not sign with any of the teams, and as of today, announced retirement.

Mata started his professional League of Legends career in 2013 in MVP Ozone. He later played in Samsung White, where he won Worlds and became the owner of the Thresh skin, Vici Gaming, RNG, kt Rolster, and SK Telecom T1. Over his 7-year career, he has won 3 LCK championships, 1 LPL championship, and 1 World championship.

Below is the full translation of his announcement.

Hello, this is Cho "Mata" Se-hyeong. After having many thoughts, I decided to end my pro gaming career as of 2019.

When I was preparing for my KSATs, I just played games and my parents caught me doing so. I promised them that I'll just try entering a competition, and if it doesn't go well, I'll study. Starting from that, I was in many teams, such as MVP, VG, RNG, KT, SKT, with many teammates and staff members. They were all happy moments that I was able to have good chances and experiences.

It felt good that winning the championship got me more money and career, but what was even better was that I was able to feel all the interest and support of the fans. On the other hand, there were many regretful moments that I could have done well... I would like to play in matches right now, and I'm confident, but it does feel a bit bitter.

I thought of cheering, criticism, and blame as fans being interested in myself. I'm thankful for all the fans' support. Thank you for being together with me for 7 years.

Lastly, I wish the present and future pro gamers always get treated properly without any wrongs. I believe that if you have confidence and do your best, one day you'll have good results. Although it may be a difficult time, I hope and cheer that you'll have a fun pro gamer career without regrets!