Sprout reveal AZR as their new in-game leader
The former Renegades IGL joins the young squad after a lengthy break from competitive play.
Sprout has found a new captain after a thorough trial period having decided to go with the Australian veteran Aaron “AZR” Ward, the German organization confirms on Twitter.
The 30-year-old Aussie is set to take over reigns from Ismail “refrezh” Ali who was benched earlier this week.
In the announcement, Sprout points towards AZR’s experiences as a leader as one of the key reasons for picking him.
- After much deliberation and testing, we're proud to announce that AZR will be our new in-game leader! It was a tough decision, but with his proven leadership abilities, we are confident that AZR will be a valuable asset to our team. Thanks for the patience and as always, Sprout stated.
502 days on the sideline
The transfer to Sprout marks a long-awaited return to the server for AZR with the former Renegades and 100 Thieves having been without a team for more than 500 days.
His last CS:GO endeavour was with EXTREMUM back in 2021 alongside the former 100 Thieves core of Liazz, Gratisfaction, and Jkaem, where the Oceanic quartet was joined by BnTeT from Gen.G to round off the roster. Despite a decent track record and past results, the lineup failed miserably tournament after tournament.
The AZR-led squad didn't manage to find any consistency or acceptable level, with the failed qualification for PGL Major Stockholm towards the end of the year, being the last nail in the coffin for the team.
Sprout | Active roster
Laurențiu "lauNX" Țârlea
Adrian "XELLOW" Guță
Rasmus "Zyphon" Nordfoss
Victor "Staehr" Staehr
Aaron “AZR” Ward
