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 weeks later, on February 19, the football superstar announced a new chapter in his career by joining Brazil's premier esports organization, Furia. In his role as president of the media football team, Neymar is set to steer Furia through the upcoming season of Kings League, a groundbreaking tournament that merges traditional sports with the dynamic world of esports.

Table of Content

• 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 expressed his enthusiasm about joining Furia, highlighting his unwavering 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 primary responsibility is to construct Furia's roster for the upcoming draft. The Kings League operates in a 7v7 format, with each team comprising 13 players. Out of these, 10 are chosen by the president from a shared pool of 222 participants. A total of 10 teams will compete in the league. In addition to recruitment, Neymar can also participate in matches through the "president penalty" rule, which allows him to take the field during any game.

What Is Kings League?

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Kings League was launched in Spain in 2022, co-founded by Gerard Pique and the renowned Spanish streamer Ibai Llanos, who boasts 17 million followers on Twitch. Ibai has previously worked with esports giant G2 Esports and owned the prominent Spanish team KOI.

The league has expanded to Italy and Central America, with past finals held at iconic venues like Camp Nou. Matches follow a 2x20-minute format and feature unique elements 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 Kings League will be held 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 supporter of Furia since its rise to prominence in 2019 when the team qualified for a CS:GO Major – akin to a World Cup in esports. He regularly shared highlights of their matches on social media and recorded videos cheering them on during crucial tournaments. During one memorable moment, he praised 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, 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 the organization:

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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He has played exhibition matches with Fallen, Brazil's most celebrated esports figure, and 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.