A good General Manager is almost always a controversial figure. 

This is, after all, a job that demands constant decisions from you; where even the smallest of these decisions can ripple, like a pebble breaking the surface of water, into larger waves. Having final say but mostly working in the background, the General Manager is often simultaneously most accountable and the least-endeared person to the wider audience. The job is not just making decisions, it’s also standing by them — particularly in a way that shields the team from the bad and lets the team bask in the good.

Across the many decisions made at Team Liquid Brazil, this is what Rafael "Rafa" Queiroz did.

Rafa first joined Team Liquid in 2017, after he had spent three years running some of the strongest teams in the Rainbow Six Siege scene. His Santos Dexterity team was one of the first ever partnerships with a major football club in Brazil, and his own Team Fontt was a regional winner that went on to become FaZe Clan (Team Liquid’s primary rival for years). In that first year with Liquid, he managed and helped build the team that lifted Brazil’s first ever international trophy, at ESL Pro League Season 7 Finals. 

In the coming years, Team Liquid Brazil became the team to beat within the region and a perpetual contender outside of it. In terms of local hardware, Rafa brought home three Brasileirãos, two Copa Elites, one Brazil Major, and a top finish at a Latin America Pro League — all on top of placing top 3 in the majority of the region’s big qualifiers and events. For roughly six years (2017 to 2023), Team Liquid was in the conversation for the best Rainbow Six team in Brazil. 

And internationally, Rafa routinely put Liquid in the conversation for the best in the world too; the problem here is that if you were talking about Liquid on the biggest stages, the word you’d use was “almost.” If you visit our São Paulo headquarters in Brazil, you can see trophies for the Pro League Season 7 Finals and OGA PIT Season 3, but after that it’s all silver, bronze, copper. Four runner-ups at internationals, six third-fourth placings. 

For fans, the denied potential of perennial “almosts” can sting more than a crushing defeat and so the silver and bronze streaks that ran across Rafa’s resume felt bitter after a while. But longtime sports fans know that even this level of success is not guaranteed; it’s a privilege to always be in the conversation, even if you don’t get the last word. 

And in other titles, we closed the conversation ourselves. In 2022, Rafa and TL inked a deal that gave them the best Valorant Game Changers roster in Brazil, the first ever women’s team in Liquid history and arguably one of the best women’s teams in esports history. This roster dominated the GC scene in Brazil, having no true rival until MIBR began forming super teams specifically designed to beat Team Liquid, and even made waves as the first ever women’s team to win a tier 2 qualifier in the mixed scene. Abroad, the Game Changers team gradually improved, until they overcame Shopify Gold, the historic best women’s team in Valorant, and won Champions 2025.

The medals shine brightest, but the legacy of a GM extends beyond simple results and into the staff, the culture, the foundations that a team is built on. In this area, Rafa was instrumental, growing TL from an R6 team into an organizational powerhouse in Brazil, with rosters in several games and a 14-floor Alienware Training Facility in São Paulo. In turn, he did not just make sure that TL came to Brazil, he made sure that Brazil came to TL, fundamentally changing the DNA of one of the biggest organizations in esports. He is a part of why our Counter-strike rosters could sign names like TACO, Zews, and FalleN — and even part of why we could make the swap for Stewie2k that would earn us the fastest Grand Slam in CS history. He is a big reason why we could sign top streamers like Frtt, Babi, Revolta, and many others. Even as he left, he put together a veritable superteam for our R6 squad and if they win on the biggest stages, then that gold is Rafa’s too.

Where so many other international organizations could not find footing in Brazil, Rafa made sure that Team Liquid could find a foundation and build it into something lasting. As Rafa moves on from Team Liquid, he will no doubt be measured in the eyes of the community by his wins, his losses, his controversies. There’s nothing wrong with that, this is how we measure all General Managers. But if you want to know what truly defined his time at Team Liquid, read these letters, and look at how much he built. 

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Letters to Rafa

André "Meligeni" Leal Santos - Rainbow Six Caster

Some people have roles, and some define what those roles should be. In esports, where everything is measured in milliseconds, Rafa is the anomaly who proves that the human factor is still the most important piece of hardware in the setup.

Talking about Rafa is easy. His track record speaks for itself, as do his results. But what his track record doesn’t show is his intensity. The same intensity that made him ignore Fonta’s orders when he stormed the team’s booth on the stage after winning the championship at Max Arena and hugged his players in the moment of victory. He wasn’t just a manager celebrating a title; he was a passionate man celebrating the lives of those he protects and leads. It was against the rules, but his heart doesn’t follow rules. 

It’s rare to find someone with a “heart bigger than the world” in such a competitive industry, but he navigates it with a kindness that shouldn’t be confused with ingenuity. It’s the kindness of the strong.

And if anyone doubts this guy’s dedication, I have the proof in resin and filaments. I was the skeptic who said his 3D printer would be a two-week toy, a passing “hype” destined to gather dust. I was dead wrong. Today, Rafa doesn’t have enough shelf space to store the parts he produces. He didn’t just learn how to use the tool, he mastered it with a technical perfection that makes official store collectibles look like cheap prototypes.

That sums up Rafa:
If he loves something, he gives it his all until the very end.

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Victor - Team Liquid Co-CEO

Rafa, eight years ago you joined Team Liquid as the Rainbow 6 Manager. You had already built a professional career for yourself, and yet you chose to bet on something bigger, on what esports could become. And from the moment I got to know you, I understood why.

You are kind. You are warm. You are smart. And you carry with you a genuine vision, not just for what esports can be, but for how a business can truly care about the people within it. With honesty. With loyalty. Those values connected us from the very beginning, and they are what made everything that followed possible.

When a company expands into a new region, the single greatest challenge is finding the right person. Someone who understands the business, who lives and breathes the brand and its values, who can navigate the beautiful chaos of an early-stage operation, HR, legal, marketing, operations, culture, performance, all at once, and do it with grace. Someone who doesn't just do the job, but who genuinely cares about the well-being of every person around them.

Finding all of that in one person is rare. Finding it in someone who is also willing to go above and beyond, every single day, to make a shared dream real... that is something truly special.

Rafa, you were that person for us.

You now stand in a 13-story Team Liquid office in Brazil. That building is many things; it is ambition made concrete, a community given a home. But more than anything, it is a reflection of you. It would not exist without what you built. It would not exist without what you meant to this organization.

I am so deeply grateful that our paths crossed. I wish you nothing but the very best in everything that comes next.

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Natália "daiki" Vilela - Team Liquid VISA In-Game Leader

We met 1,631 days ago, on October 21st, 2021, and on that day, your words were more than enough to make me feel safe and confident.

You trusted me from day one. I was only a child, and you could already see a future for me that I couldn’t even imagine would be possible. You calmed me down when I was afraid to disappoint everyone and you were, above everything, a pillar of strength that made sure we never gave up.

Today, we are finally the top team in the world, we qualified for the VCB, and I’m sure, if we could go back in time, to 1,631 days ago, to tell you all we have achieved, you would say: “I knew you could do it.”

Thank you, Rafa. You weren’t only my mentor during most of my journey, but you were also, as part of Team Liquid, my safe haven. I always knew I could sleep peacefully because there was someone out there who believed in me.

Saying goodbye makes me sad, but we made history together, and you are part of it.

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André "nesk" Oliveira - Former Rainbow Six professional player

First, Rafa,  I have to thank you for these eight years together, side-by-side.

I grew a lot during that time, and I learned a lot from you. I had the opportunity to get to know an extremely respectful, thoughtful guy who always helped us anyway he could, and made sure we had the best opportunities. If it wasn’t for his help back then, during the negotiations with Liquid, I might not be where I am today. So, Rafa, you are someone who has truly changed my life. 

He is someone I want to stay in touch with for the rest of my life, because he’s a person I admire deeply and care about very much. Someone who has truly changed my life.

Thank you for everything you did for me. I hope you find your way forward and that you’re very happy with the decisions you make. May God always bless you, and may you continue to be the amazing person you are.

I admire you and care about you very much and I hope we can stay in touch for the rest of our lives. Let’s meet soon for a barbecue, or anything else.

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Maxime Vial & Leandro Estevam - Director and Associate Director of Esports, Ubisoft South America

Over the last 7 years, from his role behind the scenes, Rafa has had a profound impact on the Brazilian Siege esports scene. Embodying Team Liquid’s standards of professionalism and imparting them to the players and staff he worked with, he showed an entire region how to sustainably and responsibly nurture and develop talents in esports. Between competitive successes and failures, his constant presence at his players’ side was a testament to his dedication and love for his work. He’s been an upstanding partner throughout our many years of collaborations between Ubisoft and Team Liquid.

Thank you, Rafa, and we wish you all the best in your future adventures!

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Paulo "psk1" Augusto - Former R6 player and TL VISA Team Manager

In November 2016, I had just lost a game to your team (Fontt), and both teams went out to get lunch together. You saw that I was upset and came over to ask what had happened. I told you I was thinking about quitting playing. Right there and then, you stepped away from your team and pulled me aside, begging me not to do it and telling me I had so much to accomplish. I thought it was really strange because we barely knew each other, and you supported me during one of the worst times I was going through, but I believed you, and three months later, we were together on TL. I don’t even need to mention that two months later, we made history together, right?

Rafa, TL only became such a powerhouse in Brazil because you always believed in every single person who ever worked for this company, just as you believed in me. You managed the team with your heart, and that means more than all the money in the world. I also don’t even need to mention that during the COVID-19 pandemic, you managed to get TL to cover 10 days of ICU care for my father when he was about to leave us. You helped to save his life and the lives of many other TL fans through all the meetups and events you planned. When I say you’re like a second father to me, I hope you believe me and know that you will always be a father figure to me. 

My admiration and respect for you only grow stronger every day. I am so grateful to have had you as a manager and mentor. Thank you for all the lessons, thank you for all the moments, thank you for believing in me, thank you for believing in everyone who is here and who has been part of the organization — I’m sure you’ve made a huge difference in all of their lives.

I love you, big man! I hope one day to have the luck and honor of working with you again.

Thank you for everything <3

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Pedro Caldeira - Team Liquid Creative Lead

I thought about how to start this letter, and the only thing I can think of is: "This is weird, Rafa!" 

I already knew you before joining Team Liquid, and I could see from the outside the interesting and unique work you were doing here, showing good results and putting Liquid at the top. When I joined the organization and saw you working every day to expand and ensure that an entire region knew what being Liquid meant, I realized I was part of something much bigger. It was never just an ordinary job.

Rafa, thank you from the bottom of my heart! Thank you for welcoming me to this wonderful organization when I was in a bad place, thank you for your kindness in our conversations, thank you for the advice, thank you for helping me whenever I needed it, thank you for trusting me, and thank you for the partnership we had. It was truly amazing to be a part of everything you’ve done for Team Liquid worldwide.

May your farewell be as lovely as the journey you’ve had, and may your life hold new and uplifting paths ahead.

Warm Regards,
P-Money.

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Gabriel "Winner" Cassel and the Ubisoft team

Rafael,

Reaching 2026, looking at everything from above — from the 14th floor of the best facility in Brazil and one of the biggest esports organizations in the world — is not something just anyone can do. For someone who started way back, in partnerships with football clubs and energy drink sponsors that "didn't quite give you wings," it's admirable to see how far dedication has brought you: becoming an enormously successful General Manager.

Thank you for bringing Team Liquid to Brazil and, through Rainbow Six Siege, maintaining a massive and passionate fanbase. We have had the privilege of working with you since as far back as I can remember in the esports universe (over 13 years). On behalf of the entire Ubisoft Brazil team, we wish you a new journey full of achievements. May you continue celebrating many victories and, if possible, always be close to us.

With admiration and gratitude,
Winner and the entire Ubisoft team!

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André "Sensi" Kaneyasu - Team Liquid Esports Manager

Rafa,

I could start this letter by saying you're a great professional — and you are — but I think everyone already knows that. So I'll start with what maybe not everyone knows: how it all started.

We met back in 2016. I was taking my first steps as a Coach at Santos Dex, and you were one of the guys running operations there. Then life did what life does: I went to BD, you went to Team Fontt, and we became rivals. And what a rivalry it was. A proper derby back in the day!

Then came 2017… contracts ending, everyone looking for something better, and that's when you knocked on our door with a proposal to join Fontt. Proposal accepted, contract ready, jerseys ready… until rumors started that "big fishes” were eyeing the Brazilian scene. And we, who had already given you our word, decided to hold off. I know that pissed you off — and rightfully so. We had given our word. But you, being who you are, understood. You saw it was a massive opportunity for us and for the scene as a whole.

And now comes the part I'll never forget: with the biggest audacity in the world, we asked for your help to negotiate with Liquid. On our behalf. You, who owed us absolutely nothing — quite the opposite — helped us without charging a dime. Because you understood how big that opportunity was. That says everything about who you are.

Deal done, contract ready… and then came the idea: "What if we brought Rafa in as our Manager?" Because there was no way I could handle being both Coach and Manager. I had never lived in São Paulo, I didn't understand infrastructure, I didn't know how to rent a place, let alone how to make that whole operation run. We needed you.

And of course, you didn't accept right away. Because that's who Rafa is: you had given your word to the business partner you were working with, and you needed his blessing first. And that was the moment I saw something in you that is incredibly hard to find in people: LOYALTY. Your partner, also with a huge heart, understood it was your dream and gave you that blessing.

And that's how the first lineup of Team Liquid in Brazil was born: Zig, Nesk, Bullet, Yuuk, Sexycake, Sensi, and Rafa. We signed in December 2017, just a few days before Christmas. I remember it like it was yesterday. It felt like a prank, a dream. I remember talking to Nesk: "dude, is this real? Are we actually on Team Liquid?"

Then came the move to São Paulo. I left Araçatuba, took an 8-hour bus ride, arrived around 6 AM, and went straight to your apartment. I stayed about 2–3 nights there, and our mission was to build furniture, set up the internet connection, go shopping, and get everything ready before the players arrived. It was quite the experience. But it was right there, putting together tables and carrying boxes, that our friendship was cemented for good.

And throughout our entire journey at Liquid, I got to witness your greatest superpower up close. Every moment when things weren't going the way we wanted, or whenever conflict arose, you never let us fall apart. You were always the glue that held us together. Everyone was fuming after a bad practice, and we'd be thinking "here comes another one of Rafa's meetings and lectures"… and by the end, everyone was crying and hugging each other. That was your gift. 

Every time I'd tell you, "Rafa, it's insane how you have this gift for talking to people and expressing yourself." You would reply, "Maybe it's my only quality." Little do you know, you carry a truckload of positive qualities: a true friend, kind, loyal, honest, tough as nails — but most importantly, always defending your people tooth and nail.

"Loyalty above everything. Do the right thing, even when it's hard. And do it with your heart."

That phrase,  I'll carry with me for the rest of my life.

Over all these years, I have had the privilege of working alongside an extraordinary professional. A mentor. A friend. And at times, a father figure.

I won't lie: it makes me sad to see you go. But it makes me far happier to look back and see what we built — what you built. If Team Liquid Brazil exists today, it's because of you. Just look at the organizations that entered Brazil around the same time. TL was the only one that truly took root, that invested in the region, that created and executed massive projects, and that became synonymous with excellence and quality. And that's no coincidence. 

If there's one thing that gives me comfort, it's knowing you're happy. And if you're happy, I'm happy.

I wish you with all my heart all the luck and success in the world, and know this: you will never be alone. Count on me for whatever you need.

With love and gratitude,
Your padawan.

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From all of Team Liquid: Rafa, thank you for everything!