Crazy rules, 7v7 and stars like Ronaldinho and Neymar: how Pique filled the Camp Nou with new massive success | foreign football

Cosmos, Gerard Pique’s company, isn’t shy about overhauling sports competitions. In the Davis Cup, it was not very successful: after 5 years, cooperation was interrupted.

But with the Kings League, a 7-a-side competition that pits former footballers and streamers against each other, Piqué appears to have hit the mark.

On Sunday, the Camp Nou was the venue for the first final, and Barcelona’s stadium was instantly sold out, good for 90,000 spectators. Half a million people watched the event online.

Chances are you’ve never heard of the League of Kings, but it’s very popular in Spain.

Brazilian stars such as Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Neymar did not want to miss the final and were present on Sunday at the stadium where they once shone.

Ronaldinho previously announced that he would join the project and have his team next year, and now Neymar is following suit as well.

The union of kings announced this in an amazing way. And in the advertisement video, Neymar “kidnapped” his former teammate Gerard Pique, the big man behind the project. He just wanted to release the Spaniard in exchange for his own team.

Why such success for the League of Kings?

The concept is simple. The brand new league consists of 12 teams competing for the title.

Each team is led by a ‘celebrity’: former high-profile players Sergio Agüero and Iker Casillas preside, as do famous spectators like TheGrefg and Ibai llanos. They were allowed to create their own team, including Chicarito and Capdevila.

Since January, teams of 7 have met every Sunday near Barcelona Airport. For the Final Four, the action moved to the legendary Camp Nou.

In addition to the well-known names, other rules of the game appeal mainly to the general public.

This is how you make a kick-off quickly, just like in water polo. Teams can make unlimited substitutions and the card means minutes on the bench, as in hockey.

The same: there is a VAR technology, but the players consult it themselves.

No expense was spared for the final. The audience has been treated to concerts, performances and some distinguished guests.

The organizer was clearly inspired by the Super Bowl, the hugely popular NFL final.

For example, as in the Super Bowl, there was a live show during halftime. President Pique also made a presentation in which his former teammates David Villa, Sergio Aguero and Ronaldinho participated. Even Joan Laporta, the president of FC Barcelona, ​​was present.

For the sake of completeness: in the end it was “El Barrio”, the team of sports journalist Adrie Contreras, who managed to win the final and thus become the first champions of the League of Kings.