Recently, the Royal team finally announced the farewell of their marksman player – Jian “Uzi” Zihao. This marks the end of a partnership that lasted over 4 years. Royal Never Give Up expressed their gratitude to the number 1 star in the team’s history, who is also the greatest symbol of League of Legends in China.
Shortly after RNG posted a tribute to Uzi, the player officially announced his retirement on his personal Weibo, marking the end of his nearly decade-long professional League of Legends career. Contrary to fans’ expectations, Uzi did not choose a new team after leaving RNG, which means that from this moment on, fans around the world will no longer witness Uzi on the professional stage.
“Hello, I am Uzi. I am sorry to inform everyone that I – Jian Zihao, will retire from now on.
The pressure of competing, irregular lifestyle, late nights, greasy food… over a long period, I was diagnosed with diabetes during my health check last year. My blood sugar level rose to 11%, compared to the safe level of 6.5%.
In the past six months, I have had to gradually change, control my diet, exercise to lose weight, along with using medication, but nothing has improved; in fact, having to depend on medication has worsened my mental state.
The doctor warned me about diabetes complications, and coupled with hand injuries, I realized that my health was no longer sufficient for professional competition.
I would like to thank the fans who have accompanied me over the years. Those who always supported, encouraged, and became a strong support for me during difficult times, I sincerely thank you all.
Thank you to my family and Ding Ding (Aomimi – Uzi’s long-time girlfriend) for always understanding, being tolerant, and taking care of me.
Finally, thank you to Royal Never Give Up, where I was fortunate to be a part of the team. Even though I am retiring, I will always consider RNG my home, and I will continue to support my brothers in the future.
My journey has finally come to an end, I sincerely thank everyone.
2012 – 2020, goodbye, my youth.”
Uzi began his professional League of Legends career in 2012 with Royal Club, which is the predecessor of Royal Never Give Up today. After a period of playing for teams like Qiao Gu Reaper, OMG, Uzi returned to his “old home” RNG and remained with this team for 4 years.
Throughout his career, Uzi has experienced enough ups and downs, peaking with two second-place finishes at Worlds in 2013 and 2014 and numerous defeats at the LPL finals. However, he also succeeded in conquering major titles, including two LPL championships and the pinnacle being the MSI 2018 championship along with the gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games.
