Neymar Leads Furia's Media Football Team

On January 31, football icon Neymar made a heartfelt return to Santos FC following a year-long stint with Al-Hilal. Just weeks later, on February 19, he embarked on an exciting new venture by aligning with Brazil's premier esports organization, Furia. In his groundbreaking role as president of Furia's media football team, Neymar is set to steer the team through the upcoming season of the Kings League, a pioneering tournament that ingeniously fuses traditional sports with the dynamic world of esports.

Table of Contents

• What Will Neymar Do?
• What Is Kings League?
• Neymar's Longstanding Connection to Furia
• Neymar's Ties to Esports Extend Beyond Furia

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Neymar's enthusiasm for this new endeavor is palpable. He shared his excitement and long-standing support for Furia:

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, Neymar's initial responsibility is to construct Furia's roster for the upcoming draft. The Kings League features a 7v7 format, with each team comprising 13 players. From a pool of 222 participants, Neymar will select 10 players. A total of 10 teams will compete in the league. Additionally, Neymar has the unique opportunity to participate in matches through the "president penalty" rule, allowing him to take to the field during any game.

What Is Kings League?

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Launched in Spain in 2022, the Kings League was co-founded by football legend Gerard Pique and the renowned Spanish streamer Ibai Llanos, who has an impressive 17 million followers on Twitch. Ibai has previously collaborated with esports giant G2 Esports and owned the successful Spanish team KOI.

Since its inception, the league has expanded to Italy and Central America, with past finals hosted at iconic venues like Camp Nou. Matches are played in a 2x20-minute format and include innovative features such as the "double goal" bonus, which doubles a team's next score for four minutes, and the ability to temporarily remove an opponent from play for the same duration.

The Brazilian edition of the Kings League is scheduled to occur in São Paulo from March to April, featuring top clubs Fluxo and Loud, as well as a team led by popular streamer Gaules, whose streams have reached over 500,000 concurrent viewers. The presentation and draft event will be broadcast live on February 24.

Neymar's Longstanding Connection to Furia

Neymar has been a vocal advocate for Furia since the organization's rise to prominence in 2019, when it qualified for a CS:GO Major, often likened to the World Cup in esports. He has consistently shared highlights of their matches on social media and recorded videos cheering them on during critical tournaments. In one memorable moment, he lauded the team's performance:

Go Brazil! Go Furia! Today is hunting day for Art, headshots from Yuurih, and clutch moments from Kscerato!

In 2023, Neymar attended a CS:GO tournament in Rio de Janeiro, drawing parallels between the event's atmosphere and the FIFA World Cup in Qatar:

Good morning! I wasn't feeling the World Cup until I saw the crowd's reaction at the Major in Rio. What a celebration, what an atmosphere!

Neymar had even attempted to acquire a stake in Furia:

For years, he tried to buy Furia or a share of it, negotiating and waving money around, but Furia declined. Now they've officially partnered, and I think Neymar finally got his piece of Furia. He's been trying for six years.

Neymar's Ties to Esports Extend Beyond Furia

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Neymar's involvement in esports extends well beyond Furia. He has participated in exhibition matches with Fallen, Brazil's most celebrated esports figure, and has socialized with Ukrainian star player s1mple. Additionally, he maintains a close friendship with Furia CEO Andre Akkari, a professional poker player who carried the Olympic torch in 2016. Neymar often seeks Akkari's advice on poker strategy:

He's incredibly smart. Every day, he asks me about hands and techniques. He sends me WhatsApp messages with hands from his home games, asking how I'd play them in a World Series or EPT setting.

With Neymar's leadership and passion for gaming, Furia is poised to make significant strides in the burgeoning world of media football and esports entertainment.