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Team Vitality are bringing back a familiar face just in time for crunch time. The French esports organisation has officially announced that Saif “Sayf” Jibraeel will rejoin its VALORANT roster for the rest of the VCT EMEA 2025 season, but this time as a sixth man.

For fans, it marks the return of one of Sweden’s most experienced VALORANT players, who had previously stepped away from competition to take a break.

Why now?

According to Vitality, Sayf was initially brought in as a potential last-minute sub before their series against Gentle Mates. Although he didn’t end up playing in that match, his input during prep and reviews made such an impression that the organisation decided to keep him on board.

Instead of reclaiming the in-game leader role he once held, Sayf will be stepping into a flex position. The IGL responsibilities remain with Bartosz “UNFAKE” Bernacki, who took over earlier in the year.

Vitality’s tough road

This decision comes at a make-or-break point for Vitality. After lifting the trophy at the VCT EMEA Kickoff and securing a fourth-place finish at Masters Bangkok, the team hit a rough patch in Stage 1, finishing with a 4–6 record and only managing a top 8 placing.

Now tied with BBL Esports on Champions points, Vitality need a deep playoff run to lock in a spot at Champions 2025, which just so happens to be held on home soil in Paris. Already starting from the lower bracket as Group Alpha’s fourth seed, they’ll face the loser of GIANTX vs Natus Vincere on August 22.

Who is Sayf?

Born in 2001, Sayf is a Swedish player of Iraqi heritage who’s been a mainstay in European VALORANT since 2020. He made his mark with bonk and Ninjas in Pyjamas before breaking through internationally with Guild Esports in 2022. A season with Team Liquid in 2023 saw him help guide the roster to Masters Tokyo and VCT Champions, before eventually joining Vitality.

sayf returns to team vitality

Image Credit: Riot Games

Vitality’s post summed up the reasoning behind his return: “With all of Sayf’s experience on and off the server, we believe that the whole team can greatly benefit from having him back on the roster. We are very excited and grateful to be working with a happy and healthy Sayf again and we look forward to showing you what our 6 man squad can do this week in playoffs.”

Current Vitality roster:

  • Bartosz “UNFAKE” Bernacki
  • Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev
  • Kimmie “Kicks” Laasner
  • Blendi “KovaQ” Kovaci
  • Felipe “Less” de Loyola Basso
  • Saif “Sayf” Jibraeel
  • Ștefan “Sayonara” Mîtcu
  • Daniel “Faded” Hwang (Head coach)
  • Aleksey “slk” Lynksov (Assistant coach)
  • Edgar “psych_chek” Chekera (Performance coach)

With experience, flexibility, and the motivation to bounce back, Vitality’s gamble on a six-man setup could be exactly what they need to push through playoffs and secure their ticket to Paris.