Neymar Leads Furia's Media Football Team

On January 31, Neymar made a triumphant return to Santos FC after spending a year with Al-Hilal. Just a few weeks later, on February 19, the football icon announced a new venture, joining forces with Brazil's leading esports organization, Furia. In his new capacity as president of Furia's media football team, Neymar is set to steer the organization through the upcoming season of Kings League, a groundbreaking tournament that 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

What Will Neymar Do?

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Neymar has expressed his enthusiasm about his new role with Furia, highlighting his longstanding support for the organization:

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 is played in a 7v7 format, with each team comprising 13 players, out of which 10 are chosen by the president from a shared pool of 222 participants. A total of 10 teams will vie for the title in this league. Additionally, Neymar has the chance to participate directly in matches through the "president penalty" rule, allowing him to take the field during any game.

What Is Kings League?

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The Kings League, which debuted in Spain in 2022, was co-founded by Gerard Pique and the acclaimed Spanish streamer Ibai Llanos, who has amassed 17 million followers on Twitch. Ibai has previously worked with the esports behemoth G2 Esports and owned the prominent Spanish team KOI.

The league has expanded to Italy and Central America, with past finals taking place at iconic venues such as Camp Nou. Matches are structured in a 2x20-minute format and feature unique elements like the "double goal" bonus, which doubles a team's next score for four minutes, or the option to temporarily remove an opponent from play for the same duration.

The Brazilian edition of Kings League is scheduled to occur in São Paulo from March to April, featuring top clubs like Fluxo and Loud, as well as a team led by the popular streamer Gaules, who has attracted 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 the team qualified for a CS:GO Major, an event akin to a World Cup in the esports world. He regularly shared highlights of their matches on social media and recorded videos cheering them on during crucial tournaments. In one memorable instance, he celebrated their achievements:

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, comparing the atmosphere to 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 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 at the helm and his passion for gaming, Furia is well-positioned to make significant strides in the emerging field of media football and esports entertainment.