YEKINDAR signs!
In a video announcement today, Liquid have announced that they have signed Mareks "YEKINDAR" Gaļinskis to their main roster. The Latvian star has been playing for Liquid since IEM Cologne, however, his status with the team has always been in flux. Since he was under contract with Virtus.pro, he could not officially sign with Liquid as a full time player, instead being announced as a stand-in for every event since.
Approximately four days ago all of that changed when YEKINDAR announced that he bought his own contract out from VP, meaning he was no longer contracted with the organization. This allowed Liquid to sign YEKINDAR on a full-time contract as a full team player, no longer a perpetual stand-in.
With the Latvian player, Liquid has reached new heights. Together, the team has reached a peak of third in the world following a playoffs appearance at IEM Cologne, a 1st-3rd place finish at the BLAST Premier Fall Groups, and most recently, a second-place result at ESL Pro League Season 16.
YEKINDAR's contractual status has been the subject of much debate, and scrutiny, in the recent months. Due to the sanctions against Virtus.pro, any transaction with the organization would have been potentially illegal. It's been well known that Liquid has been pushing forward on acquiring the young Latvian and have been changing their entire team dynamic to accommodate the entry-fragger.
In a statement, YEKINDAR stated "Ever since the first event in Cologne I have had only good emotions from Liquid and the CSGO roster! I am happy to announce that I have joined Liquid".
Liquid are certainly going to feel relieved that they have signed the rifler that has propelled them to new heights as the team looks to take on the IEM Rio Major in the coming weeks.
