Jojopyun to Make League of Legends History as Europe’s First North American Import Player

It appears that jojopyun is ready to make waves in Europe, especially with reports suggesting that MAD Lions KOI has secured his signing. This could mark a significant milestone as he stands to be the first North American player to hold a starting position in the European League of Legends scene.

Interestingly, there was a potential scenario where jojopyun might have joined the competition in South Korea the previous year, as he had various options available for both 2023 and 2024.

In 2024, he opted to join Cloud9, a choice that turned out to be less than favorable, as the team was unable to qualify for any international events throughout the year. Nevertheless, his inability to shine in 2024 did not diminish the excitement of his 2025 off-season, which was anything but quiet.

Ibai has reportedly extended an offer to the rising star, and several members of KOI have passionately urged jojopyun to make the move to Europe. If he isn’t just having fun stirring up conversation on Twitter, it seems he will indeed be heading to Europe.

Just realized i’m gonna be shitting on eu mids every week this gotta be a dream

— C9 jojopyun (@jojopyunlol) October 19, 2024

While he hasn’t explicitly confirmed which team he will join, leaving room for speculation about other potential suitors besides MAD, off-season roster updates and disclosures from the organization’s management suggest he’s nearly set to join the Spanish team.

It’s essential to clarify that jojopyun isn’t the first North American player to participate in Europe but is indeed the first to be imported specifically for a starting lineup.

NA coach Inero did play a single professional match in Europe, being subbed in for MOUZ during the EU Challengers league in 2015. Apart from that rare instance, this will be the first occasion that a North American player steps into the competition as part of a European team.

Source