Imperial has completed the acquisition of MIBR’s former rifler and in-game leader, Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes, in a buyout deal reportedly worth $200,000.
The 24-year-old arrives in Imperial to take the place of the two-time CS:GO Major champion fnx, who officially stepped down from the team yesterday. The veteran was a core member of the roster, along with FalleN and fer, but was moved to a role that entails coaching and content creation after subpar results at the end of the first half of the season, including an early exit from IEM Cologne. During his stay with the team, fnx mainly helped them to reach the Legends stage of PGL Antwerp Major in which Imperial nearly made the playoffs.
The addition of chelo should provide a considerable boost in terms of firepower, given that he’s one of the most skilled riflers in Brazil and was among the best performers in MIBR. He will focus solely on his rifling duties since Imperial already has a captain in form of FalleN.
This will mark the first time chelo get to work with some of the Brazilian Major champions like FalleN, fer, and fnx. It will also be the first time the 24-year-old will play alongside VINI, while he’ll reunite with boltz. The pair most recently played together in MIBR during 2021 before boltz left to join Imperial.
Chelo will debut with Imperial at ESL Challenger Melbourne in September.
