chopper ends his professional career
Former Team Spirit captain Leonid "chopper" Vishnyakov confirmed to HLTV that he will not return to the field as a player. His career, which spans more than 10 years, includes one Major title.
Russian in-game leader Leonid "chopper" Vishnyakov confirmed to HLTV that he has decided to no longer be active as a player. The former Spirit captain bid farewell to playing after a career of more than 10 years.
chopper stood out with Vega Squadron. He was part of the lineup that beat Ninjas in Pyjamas 16-2 on Cache in the ELEAGUE Major 2017 Main Qualifier. This qualification marked the first time NIP's iconic core lineup missed a Major.
The 29-year-old player joined Spirit in 2019 and won nine trophies with the team. These include the Perfect World Shanghai Major, IEM Katowice 2024 and IEM Cologne 2025 championships, several BLAST tournaments, and a PGL cup. Over his career he took part in 40 important tournaments, 11 of which were Majors.
A 2024 IGL of the Year finalist, chopper missed out on the award by one point in 2025. After Spirit benched him at the end of 2025, he turned to projects such as broadcasting and community streaming. On Friday, Spirit released a farewell video thanking chopper.
chopper thanked fans in a special message. He said he felt their support in moments of victory and in difficult times. He closed his message with "See you on streams."
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