Rekkles apologizes for poor performance at Winter Split

Martin “Rekkles” Larsson has issued an apology to fans for his poor performance in the LEC Winter Split, here’s everything you need to know about Rekkles’ apology.

Rekkles is one of the most respected names in professional League of Legends over the years. With many championships, he’s solidified himself as a long-lasting veteran of the European scene. The bot lane famously spent the best years of his career with Fnatic before transferring to rivals G2 Esports. Where he had a disappointing year and was subsequently traded to French regional team Karmine Corp. Rekkles made his way back onto Fnatic’s roster at the start of 2023, and the team is already eliminated from playoffs contention for the first split of the year. The day that Fnatic became officially removed from any chance at the next stage, Rekkles issued an apology.

Rekkles issues apology for poor performance

The star ADC published two videos on Twitter that detailed his difficulties over the course of the year and how he felt the team’s journey went. In the video, Rekkles talks on his own to his phone and explains the troubles of his start to 2023. Coming back up into the LEC after playing on Karmine Corp for a year would have significantly raised the expectations and demands. This leads to greater pressure on the marksman player. Rekkles says he’s found the Winter split very hard and thinks he’s contributed more to the team’s failures than successes. He says in no uncertain terms that he doesn’t think he’s played well.

Fnatic was expected by many fans and analysts to perform well in the first split of the year. Instead, the once-kings of Europe have careened to a record with only two wins. This disastrous turn of events has many fans calling it the worst split in Fnatic’s history. With a player like Rekkles, known for years of success, reentering an incredibly competitive scene, the odds of disappointment are high. Rekkles wasn’t the only one apologizing either, with the organization itself deciding to publish an apology on social media.

Can Fnatic come back from Winter split disappointment?

Fnatic being already eliminated from any meaningful contention puts the organization in a difficult position. While all of its competition will continue to play throughout playoffs, Fnatic will have less access to meaningful practice. Teams in playoffs will be looking for scrim partners, but a bottom team likely isn’t most teams’ priority. On paper, Fnatic has an impressive roster.

Martin “Wunder” Hansen is the most accomplished top laner in the EU. Ivan “Razork” Diaz is known for his aggressive and enabling play. Marek “Humanoid” Brazda has been touted as one of Europe’s new mid lane talents, and support Ruben “Rhuckz” Barbosa had a breakout performance at Worlds 2022.

Despite all this, the team has failed to live up to the high expectations people had for them. Only time will tell if the organization can pull itself out of the slump it has found itself in the first split of 2023.