End of an Era: Gustavo 'yel' Knittel Retires from Pro Gaming to Embark on a New Journey as a Coach

Gustavo "⁠yel⁠" Knittel has recently declared his retirement from professional gaming, closing a chapter on a near-decade-long career that saw him compete across several teams within Brazil's esports scene.

In his statement, yel revealed his intention to transition into coaching, a role he has been contemplating and preparing for some time. The 31-year-old ex-in-game leader believes his extensive experience on the field could significantly benefit any team looking to avail themselves of his coaching expertise.

Throughout his career, yel's most prominent tenure was with Luminosity, where he competed for over two years. His period with the team was marked by international competition, achieving 7-8th place at IEM Chicago 2018, and securing runner-up positions at DreamHack Open Valencia 2018 and DreamHack Open Atlanta 2018.

Following his departure from Luminosity, prompted by the team's acquisition of Ricardo "⁠boltz⁠" Prass, yel, alongside his former teammate Lucas "⁠destiny⁠" Bullo, joined INTZ. It was with INTZ that yel made his first and only Major tournament appearance at the StarLadder Major Berlin 2019. The team, however, was unable to advance past the Challengers Stage, exiting with a 0-3 record after a defeat to Grayhound.

Post-INTZ, yel's career saw him joining BOOM and later MIBR, where despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic limiting LAN event participation, he enjoyed domestic success, contributing to victories and deep runs in South American competitions.

Yel's stint with O PLANO was brief, highlighted by an early departure from the IEM Rio Americas RMR with a 1-3 record. His final competitive endeavor was with Paquetá, where he experienced varied domestic results and narrowly missed qualifying for the BLAST.tv Paris Major, exiting the Americas RMR with a 2-2 record. A little over a month following this, yel was benched by Paquetá, thus concluding his extensive tenure in competitive gaming.