Lamine Yamal will star in King's League 2024/25

After the World Cup final held at BBVA Stadium in Monterrey, Mexico, which marked the end of the 2023/2024 season, the King's League is ready to return stronger than ever. Among the many new developments, the federation has introduced a revamped communication strategy, announcing that Lamine Yamal will play a prominent role during the season, adding that further details will be provided in the coming days. The inclusion of the young Blaugrana talent, who continues to impress the football world with trophies, goals, and assists, both for his club and the Spanish National Team, is a significant choice that clearly shows the direction in which the King's League phenomenon is heading.

Since Gerard Piqué founded the King's League in 2022, its audience has grown exponentially, day after day. This is certainly thanks to prominent broadcasting partners like Twitch, TikTok, and YouTube, but also due to other deals secured by the former Barcelona defender, such as the one with Mediaset España, in addition to the high-profile presidency of Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the King's League World Cup, the new competition announced on November 7, 2023, which has added the right dose of internationality to the King's League macrocosm.

Lamine Yamal's Role and Impact on the King's League

Considering the player's commitments with both Barcelona and Spain – between La Liga matches, the Nations League, and the new Champions League format, which alone amount to an impressive number of games – it is practically unthinkable that Yamal could actively and consistently contribute to this partnership. It is far more realistic to think that the image of the 2007-born player has been used as a brilliant marketing move, which has already achieved its goal: surprising millions of fans of the league. However, despite the cleverness of including Lamine Yamal, it shouldn't be seen as that far-fetched, and for more than one reason. Firstly, because the success of the King's League fits within a historical period of transformation when it comes to sporting events, particularly football. The Champions League has introduced a revolutionary format; the same goes for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, which will be played in the United States under new rules that include 32 clubs.

The fresh breeze brought by the King's League comes at just the right time amid a sea of new changes that, like it or not, create a sense of confusion and instability for both new and old generations of football fans: just think of the "trauma" of having to follow the Champions League with an overall ranking instead of the classic group stages. Moreover, the King's League has capitalized on the trend of legends' matches, amateur games featuring great champions who have chosen to retire from football. These have always existed, but never in recent times have there been so many, from Juventus organizing a match that allowed us to see Davids, Zidane, and Del Piero playing together, to the one where Real Madrid and Porto faced off. Additionally, what the King's League is doing best is trying to "normalize" its own league by enriching its roster with names that hold prominent roles in modern football: Yamal is the strongest and most hyped under-18 player at the moment; Ibrahimovic serves as the operating partner for RedBird.

In short, it is no longer just professional football that is attracting attention, but the amateur side of the sport is also establishing itself as a relevant business and a solid source of entertainment for young people. Like Lamine Yamal, who is not only a generational talent, but also a 17-year-old boy who has grown up with video game streaming and social media. For him and his generation, the premier league is what football needs at this moment in history. For Yamal, there is no contradiction between his professional career with Barcelona and his guest career in Piqué's league.

It's simply a different way of living his passion, combining it with the on-line gaming he's a big fan of and with his social presence, which is now physiological for footballers at this level. And the King's League represents a variation that mitigates the severity of some of the aspects that characterise today's modern version of The Beautiful Game: confusing football market windows, frequent international breaks, new formats, league days that start on Thursdays and end with Monday night games. I'm waiting for his role and other innovations to be revealed for next season.