Neymar Leads Furia's Media Football Team

On January 31, Neymar made a triumphant return to Santos FC after a year with Al-Hilal. Just weeks later, on February 19, the football icon joined forces with Brazil's premier esports organization, Furia. In his new 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 fuses traditional sports with esports dynamics.

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 initial responsibility is to construct Furia's roster for the upcoming draft. The Kings League adopts 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 vie for supremacy in the league. Beyond recruitment, Neymar also has the chance to participate in matches via the "president penalty" rule, allowing him to take the field during any game.

What Is Kings League?

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Kings League debuted in Spain in 2022, co-founded by Gerard Pique and the renowned Spanish streamer Ibai Llanos, who commands an audience of 17 million followers on Twitch. Ibai previously collaborated with the esports powerhouse G2 Esports and owned the influential 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 adhere to 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 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 leading clubs Fluxo and Loud, alongside a team led by the popular streamer Gaules, whose streams have 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 their ascent to prominence in 2019 when the team qualified for a CS:GO Major – akin to a World Cup in esports. He frequently shared highlights of their matches on social media and recorded videos cheering them on during pivotal tournaments. During one memorable moment, he celebrated 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 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 endeavored 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 the Ukrainian star player s1mple. He also 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 guidance 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 fervor for gaming, Furia is poised to make significant strides in the burgeoning arena of media football and esports entertainment.