Former Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. His separation from Shakira amidst the former soccer cheating, the diss track saga, the player coming forward to make his relationship with his girlfriend official drawing criticism, and Pique booed during a prize ceremony has been in the news.
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However, there is good news for the ex-soccer star on his business front. He started a seven-a-side competition in Spain named Kings League last year. The league has garnered more views on TikTok, trumping other top soccer leagues like the Premier League and La Liga. His new avenue is getting noticed.
Kings League achieves social media feet amid Pique and Shakira saga
Former Spanish defender Pique came together with Spanish streamer Ibai Llanos to form a unique seven-a-side club competition in Spain. The competition began on 1 January 2023 and consists of 12 clubs. Meanwhile, the league is not televised, and there are no ticket sales. It is still becoming popular.
As per new data released by the league, it was the most viewed league on social media TikTok. The league garnered 238 million views and topped the list in January. It trumped the likes of the Premier League, German Bundesliga, Spanish La Liga, and French Ligue1 in the TikTok views.
🤯 ¡De locos! El primer mes de liga ha sido ESPECTACULAR. ¡Gracias a todos!
🙌 Esto no ha hecho más que empezar.
via @DeporFinanzas pic.twitter.com/YCgMnUng4U
— Kings League InfoJobs (@KingsLeague) February 6, 2023
Several famous soccer stars have associated themselves with the King’s League. Former Argentina and Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero played a game in the league. To add, the former World Cup winner with Spain, Iker Casillas, owns a team in the league.
Current LA Galaxy player Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez made a one-off appearance in the league. The league sparked huge debate when a masked player from the La Liga side made an appearance in the league. The player turned out to be Nano Mesa, who plays as a midfielder for La Liga side Cadiz FC.
What is the King’s League?
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The games in the league are completely different from traditional soccer games. It is a seven-a-side game consisting of two halves of 20 minutes. In case of a draw, they decide the game on penalties, where the player dribbles from the half line to score the goal.
The kickoff to the game is different too. It resembles water polo, where both teams run toward the half line to gain possession of the ball. The teams are allowed to pick a secret card from five different cards before the game. The cards include instant penalty, removing a player from the opposition team, double points for a goal, stealing the opposing team’s card, or a joker card that lets you pick any of the four bonuses.
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With unlimited substitutions allowed, the teams have a blend of former professional soccer players with emerging ones. With matches streamed on Twitch, TikTok, and YouTube, the league is getting popular. Let us know your thoughts on the format of the league.