Miposhka Suffers Leg Injury; Might Play ESL One Birmingham 2024 on Crutches

Team Spirit has been struggling with performance issues lately, and now, a fresh issue has emerged with its captain Yaroslav "Miposhka" Naidenov suffering a leg injury. Miposhka explained on Telegram that he twisted his leg while playing football, resulting in his kneecap getting displaced. Consequently, he will have to use crutches for the next two weeks after getting a plaster on his leg. This incident occurred less than a week before Spirit’s participation at ESL One Birmingham 2024, which begins on 22nd April

Miposhka encounters a leg injury ahead of ESL One Birmingham 2024

Taking to Telegram to inform his fans of the leg injury, Miposhka shared screenshots of the before and after versions of his legs. It will still take two weeks for the plaster to be removed, even though the injury is not that bad. Additionally, the player joked that at ESL One Birmingham 2024, he will have people come and sign his plaster.

“Tragedy in two frames, I was playing soccer -> unluckily turned my leg and eventually displaced the kneecap, I think, when I almost got in the car to go to the emergency room, it was inserted itself back (what a thrill it was) in the end the plaster was still put on for 2 weeks because the displacement remained small, so now if you want to look at a man with crutches in the arena, welcome. And come up with a legend that I will tell in the English interview and on the cast to collect signatures to then play?”

[translation via DeepL Translate]

There have hardly been many instances in which a Dota 2 player has walked using crutches or taken the assistance of a wheelchair at a competitive LAN event. Furthermore, the first part of the tournament will likely be played from the team hotel from 22nd to 24th April. Should Spirit qualify from the group stage to the playoffs, Miposhka will be required to walk to the main arena.

At the same time, the Team Spirit captain will need to make some sort of arrangements at the venue. Given the plaster, it is likely that he will have to place his leg on another chair or play from the bed; nevertheless, this is something that is still up in the air.

For Spirit, this is a crucial event for setting the tone for the rest of the year, which includes key events such as Riyadh Masters 2023 and The International 2024. The team's recent performance has been one of the weakest in the past few years, and it will need to improve its lineups in the current meta until Valve releases the anticipated new patch.