OG Esports announced, on June 14, that Anathan “Ana” Pham will be retiring and ready to move on to a new chapter in his life. This leaves OG with an open spot ahead of the regional qualifiers for The International.
.@anadota99 has decided to no longer compete in Dota 2.
It was truly a great honor to play with you, and have you by our side my friend.
Thank you for everything you have done for us.#DreamOG pic.twitter.com/vmmcRm74ue
— OG (@OGesports) June 14, 2021
Ana has been in and out of the OG roster for the past three years, taking extended breaks in between each international. He was part of the OG teams that were able to capture two Internationals; a feat that is yet to be replicated.
Many consider Ana to be the best carry player in the world. OG had brought him back to the team for the most recent Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) season. They hoped that he would be able to carry the team back to their results from the previous two years. However, OG ended up a spot lower than they were last season. Even with Ana on the team, OG were close to relegation from the upper division at the end of EU DPC season 2. If they did not win the tiebreakers against Brame and Team Tundra, they would have been in the lower division next season.
Who will take Ana’s place?
Ana’s sudden retirement from the OG squad leaves the team without a carry player for the regional qualifiers. News should come out about his replacement within the next few days as the regional qualifier begins on July 7.
Fans speculate that Syed “Sumail” Hassan could be the replacement. In fact, he has played for OG before and is the most prominent free agent in the scene. Sumail played for Team Liquid in the previous Kyiv Animajor, where they were eliminated in the group stages. Despite Team Liquid’s early exit, Sumail was able to bring them to a second place in this year’s EU DPC.
