The franchise made the announcement of his signing via its official Twitter page a day after SunPayus’ exit. It read: “Official Statement
We needed the best special agent, Welcome agent @MartiinezSa”

The updated roster for the franchise now includes Alejandro “mopoz” Fernández-Quejo Cano, in-game leader Alejandro “Alex” Masanet Candela, Raúl “DeathZz” Jordán Nieto, David “dav1g” Granado Bermudo and MartinezSa, alongside head coach Galder “bladE” Barcena.

Reports suggest that SunPayus is on course to join the Finnish esports organization, ENCE. If the reports are true, SunPayus will be playing alongside the veteran Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer.

With SunPayus’ achievements in Movistar Riders in mind, the bar is certainly set high for MartinezSa, as he has big shoes to fill. The player has yet to face off against big teams since his introduction to competitive playing, an issue that Movistar will certainly solve with him in their ranks. As a result of finishing well this season, the team will face off against a number of top teams.

According to HLTV, the 21-year old has only 44 recorded maps, one of which was against a squad among the top 50 CS:GO teams worldwide. He is said to have made a total of 906 kills, with 32.6% of them being headshots. He has also recorded a total of 744 deaths, thereby securing a kill-to-death ratio of 1.22 (K/D ratio).

MartinezSa was previously a part of the VELOX lineup and averaged a 1.15 rating as well as a 1.19 impact. At the moment, it is not certain if the player will be an asset to the team and enable them to keep up their already impressive streak of success.

MartinezSa will have a few weeks of training before the former VELOX player will reportedly make his debut in the ESL Pro League 16. While being a tough start, the competition is the next scheduled tournament for Movistar Riders.

Eternal Fire, Cloud9, FURIA, Evil Geniuses, and Team Liquid are all part of the Group D lineup for the tournament alongside the Spanish side. The league will have several of the most impressive squads worldwide in attendance. MartinezSa could better the Riders’ chances of beating Team Liquid in its first fixture, with the franchise pegged as underdogs with $2.17 odds and Liquid as favorites with $1.64 odds on top esports betting sites.

The franchise took to its official Twitter page to make the announcement. Having thanked him for his impact on the team, Movistar Riders reassured him that he would always find a home with the franchise.

The tweet read:
“Official Statement
@SunPayuscsgo breaks away from our club.
We want to thank Alvaro for his effort and commitment that have led us to achieve historic achievements for our club and for our country.
This will always be your home.”

SunPayus left the team on Thursday, creating room for the franchise to acquire Antonio “MartinezSa” Martinez Sánchez. During his time with Movistar Riders, the player helped the team emerge as champions at the ESL Challenger Valencia, which took place in July.

In the same month, the all-Spanish squad also reached the semifinals of one of the most distinguished CS:GO events of the year, IEM Cologne, with the SunPayus playing a key role. After quickly climbing the ranks and getting into the playoffs, they defeated Team Liquid in the quarterfinals.

SunPayus’ stats for Movistar Riders this year made him a crucial part of the team. The player reached a 1.16 rating, which is reportedly the highest among the rest of the players on the team. In-game leader Alejandro “Alex” Masanet Candela was the only player who came close with a rating of 1.08.

The 23-year old commented on his exit from Movistar. He took to Twitter to bid his teammates farewell and thank them for the experience.

“Many thanks to the one I have considered my home and my family during this last year,” SunPayus tweeted. “Together we have achieved incredible things. Thanks @dav1gCS @DeathZzaky @bladEisHere_ @AlejandroMopoz @alexitownzz @repk3ys @Kini_Psicologia @Resettlol @RachelXGin

“And to all other members of @Movistar_Riders @MovistareSports . I have received many messages, I can only say thanks to all of you, the support is enormous, the decision has been very difficult. I love you ma people.”

The player ended his one-year stint with Movistar Riders a few days ago and will reportedly be part of ENCE’s lineup going forward. The team’s long-time AWPer, Aleksander “hades” Miskiewicz, was benched and given permission to explore other options a week before SunPayus left Movistar Riders.

Hades started playing with ENCE in June 2021 and has been an integral factor in their journey to the top five teams in the world. The 22-year-old reportedly averaged 1.07 this year, a score that is not bad but not as impressive as SunPlayus’ 1.16.

The player also notably had little impact when put up against the other top teams worldwide. With SunPlayus’ departure from his previous team and ENCE’s apparent interest in him, it’s only a matter of time before the official announcement is made.

Although Heroic is the favorite to win the opening fixture of the IEM Cologne Pro League against ENCE with moneyline odds of $1.65 as opposed to $2.10 placed on ENCE by esports betting sites. When SunPlayus is officially announced, the odds could move in favor of ENCE.