Neymar Leads Furia's Media Football Team

On January 31, Neymar made a triumphant return to Santos FC following a year with Al-Hilal. Just weeks later, on February 19, the football icon embarked on a new journey by joining Brazil's premier esports organization, Furia. In his role as president of the media football team, Neymar is set to spearhead Furia's campaign in the upcoming season of Kings League, a groundbreaking tournament that seamlessly 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 deep-rooted 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 operates in a 7v7 format, with each team comprising 13 players. From these, 10 are chosen by the president from a shared pool of 222 participants. A total of 10 teams will vie for supremacy in the league. Additionally, Neymar has the chance to participate in matches through the "president penalty" rule, enabling him to take the field during any match.

What Is Kings League?

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Launched in Spain in 2022, Kings League was co-founded by Gerard Pique and the renowned Spanish streamer Ibai Llanos, who commands an audience of 17 million on Twitch. Ibai has previously worked with esports powerhouse 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 prestigious venues like Camp Nou. Matches are structured in a 2x20-minute format and feature innovative elements such as the "double goal" bonus, which doubles a team's next score for four minutes, and 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, showcasing top clubs Fluxo and Loud, along with a team led by popular streamer Gaules, whose streams have peaked at 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 their ascent in 2019, when the team qualified for a CS:GO Major, akin to a World Cup in the esports realm. He regularly shared their match highlights on social media and recorded supportive videos during crucial tournaments. In one memorable instance, he cheered the team on, saying:

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, likening the event's 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 also 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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Neymar has participated in exhibition matches alongside Fallen, Brazil's most celebrated esports figure, and mingled with Ukrainian star player s1mple. He also shares a close bond with Furia CEO Andre Akkari, a professional poker player who carried the Olympic torch in 2016. Neymar often turns to Akkari for poker strategy advice, stating, "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, Furia is poised to make significant strides in the evolving landscape of media football and esports entertainment.