Neymar is one of the best soccer players in the world, but few soccer superstars get their own tournament organized by Red Bull. The FC Barcelona and Brazilian National Team star is one of the most famous athletes on the planet, and he’s helped grow a unique form of soccer with the help of the energy drink company.
Neymar’s Five, a five-a-side soccer tournament features a few unique aspects that make it a very different kind of football. The 10-minute matches are fast and full of technical skill. Each side plays without a goalkeeper, and when a team scores the other team loses a player. That makes matches high-stakes and introduces a lot of strategy—and desperation—into an already exciting format.
More than 100,000 people participated in this year’s tournament, with the finalists squaring off in Praia Frande, Brazil, on Saturday to once again determine a champion.
A Brazilian team won the inaugural tournament last year, and they were rewarded with a game against Neymar and his friends as well as a trip to Camp Nou to see Barca in action and train with Neymar’s squad on the training ground.
“Nobody expected so many players from so many different countries and I’m delighted to see people playing the game the way it should be played – together, in friendship, and with a great sense of fun,” Neymar Jr said. “This is football the way I grew up playing it and I hope the numbers just get bigger and bigger.”
You can watch the finals of the Five A Side Soccer Tournament here starting at 11 a.m. Eastern time, or on Red Bull TV. Here are some highlights from last year’s tournament if you’re on the fence about tuning in.
The Five A Side tournament is part of a growing list of web content Red Bull TV has for fans of seeing the world through a different lens. From the world of magic to a wild new winter sport or the extremes limits of man and machine, there’s a lot to take in over there.
