from the Chiringuito intern to the owner of a Chinese restaurant

The kings league of Gerard Piqué It has been an unexpected success due to the resounding numbers. The final of this league of football 7 starred, for the most part, by a group of young content creators, streamers and old soccer legends in charge of their sports teams, brought together, the past sunday march 26to 92,522 people in the SpotifyCamp Nou –with tickets between €10 and €60, do the math– and another 2 million or so viewers connected through social networks. An afternoon of spectacle for the glory of the former Barça player, today converted into a successful businessman and target of the letters of Shakira.

The Barcelona stadium was practically full. From its stands this was lived final four with the same fury and the shrunken heart with which a Classic is suffered. After a hard-fought semifinal in which two of the favorites fell, the Saiyans of The Grefg and Los Troncos de Perxitaa, the outcome of the ‘League of Kings’ culminated in a duel to the death between the two finalists, The neighborhoodthe team led by the Ibizan tiktoker Adrian Contrerasand FC Annihilatorscaptained by the youtuber Colombian-Mexican Juan Guarnizowhich ended with a loud 3-0 in favor of Spanish.

Piqué’s sports experiment was a real earthquake for traditional soccer. With its peculiar rules – 40-minute matches divided into two parts of 20, 12-team leagues and ‘secret’ cards during the game that allow the opposing parties to keep an ace up their sleeve in case of trouble on the scoreboard, such as a goal is worth double or being able to strike down a player from the opposing team from the field–, the Kings League has already transformed, it can be said, into a mass phenomenon.

[La Kings League arrasa en audiencia en su final en Twitch y llena el Camp Nou]

This mass has a common profile: young user, skilled in the digital world and avid consumer of online content. streaming. Prototype of the boy (and the girl, because Piqué is already preparing his women’s Queens League) from the New Age era. That is why some of the profiles that have been placed in charge of the 12 competing teams – and thanks to which Piqué has attracted an average of 500,000 weekly viewers– are partly unknown to the older public.

Although among the stars of this football show organized by Piqué are profiles that need no introduction, such as Iker Casillasleader of 1K FC, or the Kun Agueroof the kunisportsOthers do require a more complete introduction. For example, Adrian Contrerasa streamer with 3.7 million followers on TikTok, or the youtuber David Canovasbetter known as TheGrefgwhich boasts one of the channels with the most subscriptions in Spain: 17.9 million.

Adrian Contreras: The Neighborhood

The great protagonist of the Kings League final was Adri Contreras, a streamer which harvests 3.7 million followers on TikTok, 353,000 subscribers on YouTube, and around 200,000 on Twitch. This young man of 26 yearsnative of Ibizais graduated in Journalism from the Complutense University of Madrid. former intern of The Chiringuito de Jugoneswhere he worked for two consecutive years, Contreras knew how to capitalize on his skills as a sports analyst to become one of the great influencers soccer of the moment. As a result, he was named the 2021 best tiktoker in the sports category by the Chinese social network. On Sunday he won the first prize in the Piqué league despite the fact that in the regular tournament his team, El Barrio, was in eighth position.

Juan Guarnizo: Annihilators

streamers who has built muscle on Twitch, this influencers of Colombian origin who lives in Mexico, also 26 years old, he was one of the first Latinos to overcome the barrier of 10 million followers on the social network. I nicknamed her JuanSGuarnizobecame popular thanks to his videos of gameplays live, although his channel currently deals with a musk of topics ranging from video game analysis to reactions to popular videos of others youtubers. Guarnizo studied Graphic design in Bogotá, although he never finished his degree, since the city, as he confessed in a video, “plunged him into anxiety.” Annihiladores, his team, was responsible for unseating the team of one of the favorites of the Kings League: the Spanish Ibai Llanos.

Ibai Llanos: Porcinos FC

Ibai is one of the streamers and the most famous sports content presenters in Spain. This 28-year-old Basque already has almost 13 million followers on Twitch and 10 million on YouTube. There is practically no face with which Ibai has not shared a camera –since Leo Messiwho invited him to his presentation as a new PSG signing, until rosalia and rauw alejandrowith whom he published an extensive talk on his channel just a week ago on the occasion of the presentation of his new EP, RR. It is speculated that Llanos earns between 100,000 and 200,000 euros per month. In 2021, he was listed Forbes of the 30 most influential young people in Spain. However, his team in the Kings League, Pigs, was wiped out in the playoff for those of Guarnizo.

Gerard Romero: Jijantes FC

Sports journalist and ambassador of the Estrella Damm beer brand, gerard romero He was one of the oldest participants in the kings league. At 37, the Catalan communicator has hardened in the radio newsrooms of the station RAC1 and has garnered half a million followers on Twitch thanks to his broadcasts about FC Barcelona. Romero, together with Ibai Llanos, received this year the esland award‘the Oscar of streaming‘, as defined by its creator, TheGrefg. His team, Jijantes FChas been one of the most beaten in Piqué’s league, with 10 defeats and only 1 victory, remaining last in the contest.

David Canovas: Saiyans

He started out as one of the great favorites in the Kings League, but did not get past fourth place and fell to El Barrio de Contreras. The Murcian team David Canovas25 years old, popularly known as The Grefgwas Saiyans. This youtuber It is the most popular media in Spain, since it has almost 18 million subscribers on the video platform and another 11 on twitchwhich at the time earned him the opportunity to be the first youtuber in going through the anthill. She earned it hard: she had been uploading videos to social networks since she was 14 years. It is estimated that he earns around two million euros a year, although he pays his taxes in Andorra, as recognized by Forbes after breaking a Guinness record, adding 2.4 million simultaneous viewers live. TheGrefg is also the creator of the Esland Awards.

Jaume Cremades: The Trunks FC

Streamer, influencers and gamer of Valencian origin who became popular on YouTube thanks to his videos about the video game Minecraft and the GTA: San Andreasalthough really the real rain of subscribers came after his collaborations with another illustrious content on-line: number one on Twitch AuronPlay. Cremades, better known as perxiteborn in Valencia does 31 yearyes, he was a student of architecture and today he has 2 and a half million followers on both his Twitch account and YouTube. In both, generally, he publishes direct commenting on video games.

Samy Rivera: PIO FC

The only woman to chair one of the 12 teams competing in the Kings League was sami riverapopularly known as Riversone of the few women to stand out in the world of streaming with their direct commenting on videogames such as Minecraft and call of duty. At 24 years old, this Mexican content creator has 2.2 million followers. followers on Twitch. In addition to his on-camera career, Rivera has his own Chinese food business in Monterrey, Meimeiand will be one of the stars invited to the program The evening of year 3 organized by Ibai Llanos, where different influencers They will face each other in real boxing matches. However, his team, IOP FCdid not fare well in the Kings League: 7 losses to 4 wins.

Martí Miras Nadal: Ray of Barcelona

Martí Miras Nadal is a YouTube star from 25 years born in Andorra, although he has Galician ancestry. He regularly posts videos about the game on YouTube. FIFA. Curiously, spursitoas he calls himself professionally, is one of the few influencers media that, despite growing in Andorran lands, pays taxes in Spain, specifically in Catalonia. During his brief career he has hosted the show the corner of The league and was the winner of the program The Evening of the Year 2 organized by Ibai. Today he proudly boasts a million and a half subscribers on both his YouTube and Twitch accounts. Despite his efforts, 8 losses and 3 wins made his team, barcelona lightningin the second worst in the Piqué league.

Mario Alonso: Ultimate Mostoles

the mostoleño djmariio is the youtuber of FIFA most famous in Spain, although he began his “career” as youtuber with 17 years posting tutorials on how to play the video game Pro Evolution Soccer. Then I would upload contents of Minecraft and call of duty until reaching 8 million followers that he holds today just for commenting on football matches and gameplays. He is 32 years old and just a few months ago he premiered a documentary about his life sponsored by Dominos Pizza. Walking through his Instagram account means coming across dozens of photographs surrounded by elite soccer stars: from Messi until Cristiano Ronaldogoing through the Kun Aguerowith whom he has had several public frictions, and, of course, Gerard Piquéwith whom he is closely related. Ultimate Mostoleshis team, is the best ranked in the League, although it failed to even reach the semifinal.

Javier and Eric Ruiz: Xbuyer Team

Nicknamed ‘Hermanos Buyer’, these two 26-year-old Barcelonans, fervently Barça, have been posting content on YouTube since 2012, especially comments and gameplays about the video game FIFA. Although the most visible face of the tandem is that of Javier Ruiz Delanohis brother Eric is a regular of his videos on his channel, xBuyerin which he has garnered 5 million followers.

The overwhelming success of the Kings League suggests that Gerard Piqué is not going to settle for just leading a single league. He already has confirmed the queens leaguethe female version of this soccer event, and has let it fall that there will be other projects aimed at child athletes and, even, a tournament between countries similar to the one Champions League, although its bases are not yet confirmed. What everyone is wondering now is to what extent the Kings League will become the new church of the football religion in Spain.