In what was one of the least well-kept secrets of the European off season, London-based LEC powerhouse Fnatic have announced former Origen support player Alfonso ‘Mithy’ Aguirre Rodríguez as their head coach for 2020.
Megalodontus reports on the news and offers his opinion on Mithy joining Fnatic.
This will be Mithy’s first ever foray into coaching, filling in the enormous shoes of Youngbuck, who recently signed with British rivals Excel Esports.
Before retiring as a player, Mithy was known to be a very well-respected figure and voice, looked up by many for his intelligence and skills.
Mithy is a decorated veteran within the European community and it will be interesting to see how he adapts to coaching.
When inquired about his retirement, Mithy said: “It’s quite strange, I knew it had to come at some point, and I knew this was going to be my natural career choice after playing for a long time now. But, still, you never really know when the time is right to stop.
“I didn’t really want to play in a not-so-competitive team, so I decided that maybe this was the right time to move on [from my playing career].”
Mithy, Fnatic
Fnatic are one of the most successful teams ever in European League history with an astonishing seven championships to their name.
They’ve been well known as an organisation who aren’t afraid to make bold moves and give promising rookies a chance on the big stage. This includes coaching staff.
Fnatic have promoted and nurtured talents such as Rekkles, Huni, Reignover, Broxah and Caps just to name a few.
Mithy added: “I feel that Fnatic has been very well known for talent growth and, even though I’m going to be coach, I feel like they’re going to be helping me a lot in terms of my own personal growth and how I can be better at the job.”
Unless there are further announcements, Fnatic’s roster for the LEC 2020 Spring Split is now complete:-
Fnatic will presumably be looking to add more support staff before the split begins, not to mention announcing their as of yet unknown academy roster with the departures of head coach Jandro, top-laner Bando, flex player Ronaldooo and botlaner xMatty who is allowed to explore options.
‘Fnatic have a team that looks like it will boom or bust’
Opinion by Megalodontus
On paper Fnatic have an extremely talent League of Legends roster, one that on talent alone should easily make top 3 in the LEC. But how they mesh, compromise and work as a team will remain to be seen.
There are a lot of very strong voices present (Mithy included). They do seem like a team that either booms or busts.
With their eternal rivals G2 Esports dominating European hearts and competition for all of 2019, Fnatic are aiming to take back their rightful place at the top and also once again compete for that elusive Worlds title.
As Fnatic founder Sam Matthews states:
Megalodontus is a miraculous survivor from the mass extinction and somehow learnt how to use his stubby fins to operate complicated mechanical equipment and drink tea. Worryingly for cryptozoologists, he’s been writing League of Legends articles too.
A self-taught writer who’s had the privilege to work with good editors who aren’t terrified of his pearly whites, Megalodontus is often seen writing either independently or for various websites such as this one. When not writing, he usually runs it down mid in real life and is fascinated with watching paint dry.
