Sources: Ghost set to come out of retirement and join Estral Esports in Liga Regional Norte
Ghost has reached a verbal agreement with Estral Esports to compete in Liga Regional Norte. .
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Isurus Estral Ghost
At 26, the 2020 Worlds Champion comes out of retirement
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After a year-long hiatus from competitive League of Legends, Jang "Ghost" Yong-jun has reached a verbal agreement with Estral Esports for the upcoming Liga Regional Norte Split, according to sources close to Sheep Esports. The move marks one of the most surprising roster decisions of the mid-season window and possibly one of the most impactful in the history of the region. This move comes after Isurus and Estral mutually end the partnership, and Isurus retains the LTA South slot. With their new AD Carry, Estral will aim to reach the LTA North promotion tournament.
Ghost hung up his mouse and keyboard at the end of 2022. Now, nearly two years later, he’s returning to pro play in an entirely new environment. Until now, Ghost’s career had been rooted entirely in the LCK. He made his debut in the 2016 Summer Split with CJ Entus, before moving to bbq Olivers, who joined the league in 2017. Though he never found major success with either team, he began to gain real traction after joining SANDBOX Gaming, where he became a reliable, if still underrated, botlaner on a mid-table squad.
A Return from the Shadows
That all changed in 2020, when he joined DAMWON Gaming — and his career took off. Teaming up with Heo "ShowMaker" Su, Jang "Nuguri" Ha-gwon, Kim "Canyon" Geon-bu, and Cho "BeryL" Geon-hee, Ghost formed a superteam that dominated the competition. They won the LCK Summer title, then steamrolled the 2020 World Championship, dropping just three games across the tournament. It was one of the most commanding Worlds runs ever recorded. In 2021, the roster swapped Nuguri for Khan and continued its domination. Ghost added two more LCK titles to his resume but fell short in both international finals: once to Royal Never Give Up at MSI, then to EDward Gaming in the Worlds grand final.
The 2020 DAMWON Gaming roster with Ghost in the middle. Credit: David Lee/Riot Games
After DAMWON's roster disbanded, Ghost joined Nongshim RedForce for the 2022 season. But the year proved uneventful: both Ghost and the team struggled, and after failing to make playoffs, he quietly stepped away from the pro scene. He shifted his focus to streaming and content creation under the Dplus KIA banner.
While LCK imports in America aren’t new, this is the first time a player of Ghost’s caliber comes out of retirement to compete in the region. The team enters the split with high ambitions—and a rebuilding project underway. Whether Ghost can adapt to a new region, a new language, and a new pace of play remains to be seen.
For more roster changes, check out our Transfers Hub. You can also stay updated with the latest leaks and official roster changes with our Offseason Tracker.
