Rúben "
Rhuckz" Barbosa will remain
GIANTX’s assistant coach for
one more year, according to sources close to
Sheep Esports. He will continue to work alongside his fellow Portuguese head coach, André "
Guilhoto" Guilhoto, whom he joined
last July after retiring from professional play.
Having spent most of his career in Spanish organizations such as Movistar Riders, Ramboot Club, Fnatic TQ, and KOI, Rhuckz will stay with GIANTX for a few more splits in the LEC. He previously competed on the LEC stage with Fnatic, stepping in for Zdravets "Hylissang" Galabov at Worlds 2022 and later starting in the 2023 Winter Split alongside Martin "Rekkles" Larsson.
An Iberian identity
The two Portuguese coaches will thus extend a partnership that began back in Spring 2024, when Rhuckz played for Case Esports under Guilhoto’s guidance. Following a final split with Ramboot Club in 2025,
Rhuckz announced his retirement and soon after joined GIANTX’s coaching staff.
Used primarily as
a positional coach under Guilhoto—particularly focused on the botlane with support Yoon "
Jun" Se-jun. Despite joining midseason and having limited time to work with the roster, his impact was enough for the organization to renew its confidence in him for another year.
Rhuckz’s experience as a former player brings a more human touch to a team known for its heavy reliance on data. His goal will be to help GIANTX break past the fifth-place plateau they maintained throughout the year and challenge the top four in the LEC standings.
In the middle of construction
With this extension, GIANTX secures one key member of its coaching staff, though the rest of the structure—and the roster itself—remains uncertain. Coach Nicolas Perez recently expressed his intent to explore new opportunities as his contract expires at the end of 2025, while Emmanuel “Emi” Ursachi’s contract is set to end around the same time.
On the player side, nothing is finalized yet. As
previously reported, Fnatic and GIANTX have held discussions regarding a potential exchange: the Spanish jungler Iván “Razork” Martín is reportedly a target for GIANTX, while Fnatic would like to acquire support player Yoon “Jun” Se-jun in return. This situation leaves ISMA’s future in question—though contracted until the end of 2026, the jungler has been allowed to explore his options. ADC Oh "Noah" Hyeon-taek and midlaner Adam "Jackies" Jeřábek are also signed through 2026, but their situations have remained quiet so far.
For more roster changes, check out our Transfers Hub and
Offseason Live Tracker.
Header Photo Credit: GIANTX
