Neymar Leads Furia's Media Football Team

On January 31, Neymar returned to Santos FC after spending a year with Al-Hilal. Just weeks later, on February 19, the football superstar announced his exciting new venture by joining Brazil's largest esports organization, Furia. In his new role as president of the media football team, Neymar will steer Furia through the upcoming season of Kings League, an innovative gaming tournament that seamlessly blends traditional sports with esports elements.

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What Will Neymar Do? What Is Kings League? Neymar's Longstanding Connection to Furia Neymar's ties to esports extend beyond Furia 0 0 Comment on this What Will Neymar Do?

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Neymar shared his enthusiasm about joining Furia, underscoring 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 lineup for the forthcoming draft. The Kings League operates on a 7v7 format, with each team comprising 13 players. Out of these, 10 players are chosen by the president from a shared pool of 222 participants. A total of 10 teams will vie for the championship in the league. Beyond recruitment, Neymar has the chance to take the field in matches under the "president penalty" rule, which allows him to play during any match.

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 previously worked with the esports giant G2 Esports and owned the prominent Spanish team KOI.

The league has expanded to Italy and Central America, with past finals being held at iconic venues like Camp Nou. Matches are structured in a 2x20-minute format and feature unique elements such as 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 hosted in São Paulo from March to April, featuring top clubs Fluxo and Loud, along with a team led by the popular streamer Gaules, whose streams have reached over 500,000 concurrent viewers. The presentation and draft event is scheduled to be broadcast live on February 24.

Neymar's Longstanding Connection to Furia

Neymar has been a vocal advocate for Furia since the team's rise to prominence in 2019 when they qualified for a CS:GO Major – the equivalent of a World Cup in esports. He regularly shared highlights of their matches on social media and recorded videos cheering them on during critical 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 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 a significant impact in the burgeoning world of media football and esports entertainment.