The day after is usually the most difficult for a professional athlete when he ends his career. And now that? The vast majority ask. This is not the case of Gerard Piqué. Linked to the business world for a long time, less than 48 hours after traveling to Pamplona for Osasuna-Barça -where he did not play and was sent off in his last game-, the former soccer player continues to make headlines and gain interest in streaming.
If on Wednesday he gave an interview to the popular streamer Ibai Llanos, this Thursday he presented his new soccer-related project on the Twitch platform. He did it in Barcelona, at an event held in a packed Paral·lel 62 room. In the old room, Barts unveiled the Kings League, a new competition led by Piqué and organized by his company Kosmos.
The Kings League will consist of a 12-team 7-a-side football league with some of the most prominent streamers on the Spanish and Latin American scene as presidents of each club. In addition to Llanos, The Greft, DjMariio or the journalist Gerard Romero, there will also be the presence of two illustrious former soccer players such as 'Kun' Agüero and Iker Casillas. "I thought of someone traditional out of this world and said 'this is Iker'," Pique joked. He convinced him on Wednesday in Pamplona when he saw that they were odd. "I thought someone would fall but no."
"I am very happy and excited. After many years playing football, now I will see it from the stands," he assured when he was introduced by fellow streamer Cristinini, who defined the Kings League as an event that "wants to change football." The former Catalan defender explained that the idea came up at a meal with Ibai months ago and that he will try to offer "a different football product".
"With cameras and microphones you will be able to access the changing rooms, see how the players talk to the coaches, see how the transfer market is bought and sold, follow the draft..." added Piqué, who assured that the rules of The competition will be decided through a committee that will be created and will be "a little different" from conventional football. "In this sport it is difficult to change the rules. Here you will be flexible and adapt to what people believe."
The templates of the twelve teams will have twelve players: In total there will be 120 players who will be chosen through a draft (the first will be by lottery) to be held at the end of December. Anyone can register on the official website of the Kings League.
In addition to these ten footballers per team, each day the streamer president will have the possibility of inviting two people to be part of the team: footballers, ex-footballers, public figures... it will depend on each one. There will be no limits. Even the presidents will be able to play if they wish. "I must consult with my doctor," explained Agüero by videoconference, suffering from heart problems that forced him to hang up his boots. They will also be able to choose whoever they want as coaches and there will be referees: "I tried to convince Gil Manzano in Pamplona but it couldn't be", said an ironic Piqué about the referee who expelled him in El Sadar.
The Kings League will open the door to the appearance of new casters (eSports narrators and commentators) that will come from the users who register in that section. Both they and the players will receive a salary.
The first edition of the Kings League will start on January 1, 2023 in the afternoon ("let the players control each other at the end of the year") and will end in March. It will have a regular phase and the first eight will play for the title in the playoffs. The days, which will be held on Sundays, will begin at four in the afternoon and end at ten at night. Each match will last forty minutes (20 per part) and will be played in indoor artificial grass facilities in Barcelona.
The league will have two tournaments, a kind of opening and closing similar to the one that existed in Argentine soccer. Between tournament and tournament there will be a transfer window in which the eleven presidents and the president (the Mexican streamer Rivers is the only woman) will be able to exchange players. When the second stage of the league ends, the top leaders will have to fire half of the squad. A new draft will then start for other participants to enter and there may also be signings or trades from future rounds of the draft. Very NBA style but without money.
All matches can be followed on the Twitch channels of the streamers and the Kings League. Later there are plans to create the Queens League, a women's competition. These are the current teams:
- Sayans FC (The Graft)
- Swine FC (Ibai Llanos)
- Lightning Barcelona (Esposito)
- Annihilators (Juan Guardnizo)
- Kunisports (Sergio Aguero)
- Ultimate Móstoles (DjMariio)
- Gerard Romero - Jujiante FC
- PIO (Rivers)
- Los Trunks FC (Perxitaa)
- The Neighborhood (Adri Contreras)
- XBuyer Team (Buyer)
- 1K (Iker Casillas)
