On January 31st, Neymar rejoined Santos FC after a year with Al-Hilal. Just weeks later, on February 19th, this football superstar joined forces with Brazil's leading esports organization, FURIA. In his new role as president of their media football team, Neymar will lead FURIA into the Kings League, a groundbreaking gaming tournament blending traditional sports and esports.
Neymar expressed his excitement, stating, "Anyone who follows me knows how much I've backed FURIA since day one. Whenever my schedule allows, I'll be working closely with the team. I'm confident that the squad we assemble will consistently perform at a high level."
As president, his initial task is building FURIA's roster for the upcoming draft. The Kings League uses a 7v7 format with 13 players per team; 10 are chosen by the president from a pool of 222 participants. Ten teams compete. Beyond recruitment, Neymar can participate in matches via the "president penalty" rule, stepping onto the field at any time.
Launched in Spain in 2022, co-founded by Gerard Piqué and streamer Ibai Llanos (17 million Twitch followers), the Kings League has expanded to Italy and Central America. Past finals were held at venues like Camp Nou. Matches are 2 x 20 minutes, featuring unique elements like "double goal" bonuses (doubling the next score for four minutes) and temporary player removals.
The Brazilian edition, in São Paulo from March to April, includes top clubs Fluxo and Loud, and a team led by streamer Gaules (over 500,000 concurrent viewers). The presentation and draft air live on February 24th.
Neymar has been a strong FURIA supporter since their 2019 CS:GO Major qualification. He frequently shared match highlights and videos cheering them on, once praising their performance: "Go Brazil! Go FURIA! Today is hunting day for Art, headshots from Yuurih, and clutch moments from Kscerato!"
In 2023, he attended a Rio de Janeiro CS:GO tournament, comparing the atmosphere to the FIFA World Cup. He even attempted to acquire a stake in the organization: "For years, he tried to buy FURIA or a share of it… but FURIA declined. Now they've officially partnered…"
He's played exhibition matches with Fallen, and socializes with s1mple. His close friendship with FURIA CEO Andre Akkari (a professional poker player and 2016 Olympic torchbearer) is noteworthy; Neymar often seeks Akkari's poker advice: "He's incredibly smart. Every day, he asks me about hands and techniques…"
With Neymar's leadership and passion, FURIA is well-positioned to thrive in media football and esports.
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