This Monday, French support player Paul “
" Lardin announced his retirement from professional
League of Legends. At 25 years old, Stend concludes his career with Shifters in the
League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) after seven years competing across the LFL, LVP, TCL and LEC.
In his announcement, Stend also said that he wants to "continue on a different path" and is open to opportunities in team management, whether in League of Legends or another game, while pursuing his studies.
A veteran of the French scene
A career that began in 2019 through the French Open Tour, Stend climbed every level of the EMEA region to eventually reach its highest division. In 2020, he joined
GamersOrigin Academy in LFL Division 2 for his first professional experience. At just 18 years old, he later joined the Tony Parker Adéquat Academy, where he first teamed up with jungler Théo "
" Borile.
In 2022, he left France to join Dusty in the Northern League of Legends Championship (NLC), where he won his first trophy and made his EMEA Masters debut. At the beginning of 2024, he returned to France with Vitality.Bee, where things went particularly well at EMEA Masters, with the team reaching the Grand Final.
A well-deserved arrival in the LEC
The support player then attracted interest from several LEC teams, eventually joining
and making his Tier 1 debut in the region. He once again teamed up with Sheo and experienced the harsh reality of top-level competition. Every split TH made the playoffs but failed to finish higher than sixth, despite encouraging performances from the French support.
In 2026, he started the year with the Spanish organization but was quickly sent to Turkish side Misa Esports, with whom he reached the EMEA Masters podium. Late 2026, he returned to the LEC with Shifters, where he reunited with Sheo for one final time. The split did not go as planned, with the team winning just one best-of-five series, bringing an end to Stend's competitive career.
