Matu Announces Retirement and Plans to Join Finnish Army
Following the conclusion of The International 2022, the roster shuffle season has begun in the world of Dota 2. One notable retirement announcement came from legendary core player MATUMBAMAN, also known as Matu, who has decided to start a new chapter in his life by joining the Finnish army and completing his mandatory military service.
While Matu does not have a specific plan for his retirement, it seems that he will be dedicating his time to serving his country. According to a source, all male Finnish citizens are required to serve in the army for varying periods of time, ranging from 165 to 347 days. This means that Matu may be out of the public eye for at least five months in 2023.
A similar situation occurred in 2016 when Park “March” Tae-won, a well-known support player, joined the South Korean military after achieving great success in TI5 with MVP Phoenix. March served in the Navy for 23 months and made a comeback to the Dota scene in early 2018. Upon his return, he was warmly welcomed by the Dota community and became primarily involved in coaching teams. He later joined T1’s Dota 2 squad during TI11.
Both Matu and March had accomplished remarkable achievements in their careers before entering the military. It remains uncertain whether Matu will follow the same path as March did after completing his service. In contrast to March, Matu has expressed that he is retiring for good on multiple occasions. However, Dota retirements tend to be shorter than anticipated due to the players’ unwavering love for the game.
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Matu retirement, Dota 2 roster shuffle, Finnish army, mandatory military service, Matu and March, Dota community