The in-game leader hadn’t played for NAVI since PGL Major Antwerp.
Even though Kirill "Boombl4" Mikhaylov has not played for Natus Vincere since May of 2022, his contract with the Ukrainian organization has finally ended on the last day of the year. Boombl4 announced his free agency on his social media last Monday, Jan. 1.
In a message sent on Twitter and Telegram, via Twitlonger, the 23-year-old Russian commented that he still has a lot to achieve in his career. He also said that he wishes NAVI the best and cheers for them to stay on top.
"I wish Natus Vincere good results and always be in the top of the Olympus. A new stage of life is beginning for me and I am happy to announce that I am a free agent now. There are huge numbers of peaks that I have not reached. I am ready!" he shared.
The captain of the NAVI's Major
Boombl4 arrived at NAVI in 2019 with the hard mission of replacing Danylo "Zeus" Teslenko in the in-game leader (IGL) position. The Russian, alongside the squad, had two slow years in 2019 and 2020. However, during 2021, NAVI dominated the scene in the return of offline tournaments.
The journey of Boombl4 in the squad was crowned with an impeccable run during PGL Major Stockholm 2021. NAVI won the tournament undefeated with Boombl4 as the captain, even though the star of the team was Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev.
Tough 2022 for Boombl4 and NAVI
After a brilliant 2021, the expectations for NAVI in the next year were sky high. Sadly, with Russian invasion of Ukraine, a huge conflict between the two countries started. As a Ukrainian organization with Russian players, NAVI became the target of several rumors that featured Boombl4 as one of the names that could leave the squad due to disagreements over decisions that Yevhen Zolotarov, NAVI's CEO, was making for the organization.
Amidst all that background noise, Boombl4 still was the captain of the team during PGL Major Antwerp 2022 in a disappointing run through the tournament. Not long after this, he was benched by the club.
As if he was not involved in enough controversy, in June Boombl4 announces his divorce from Angelica "LiQueen." In response, Boombl4's now ex-wife released a string of allegations against the player. According to LiQueen, the Russian player had a lot of personal problems, including addictions to drugs and alcohol. Boombl4 didn't outright deny these allegations and received the support of other professional players, such as Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo.
Now, as a free agent, Boombl4 has a chance to restore his image in the pro scene. Even though his 2022 was full of controversy, in 2021 he had proved that he can be an IGL that brings trophies.
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