A Barça icon steps into Harvard

Gerard Piqué has never hidden his ambition to reinvent football — but this week, he reached a whole new stage. The former FC Barcelona defender made his debut as a guest professor at Harvard University, leading a packed classroom in Boston where dozens of students even showed up wearing Barça shirts. His mission: break down the global phenomenon of the Kings League, which has become one of the most disruptive entertainment products in world football.

Piqué was invited by Anita Elberse, the renowned director of the MBA course Business of Entertainment, Media and Sports, and by Spanish researcher David Moreno, who together prepared a full case study on how the Kings League launched, grew, and shifted audience expectations in record time.

Ironically, Piqué himself once sat in that same classroom — in 2017 he completed a four-day executive version of the course, also taught by Elberse. Other global figures such as actress Katie Holmes and NBA legend Pau Gasol have also passed through the program.

Kings League: from Barcelona idea to global case study

The Harvard session focused on why and how the Kings League has exploded since its launch on January 1, 2023. The course highlighted three pillars:

• a social-media-first narrative,
• a disruptive competition format,
• and a deep, direct connection with its community.

What began as a seven-a-side league in Spain has now expanded to men’s and women’s divisions in Spain and Mexico, plus men’s leagues in Brazil, France, Italy, Germany, the Middle East, and North Africa, with the United States set to join soon.

Financially, the project’s momentum is just as striking: according to Palco23, the Kings League closed its first full year with €20 million in revenue, a remarkable milestone for a competition barely two years old.

For Piqué, having Harvard dissect his creation is more than an academic milestone.

“It’s an honor for the Kings League to be analyzed by such a respected institution,” he said. “This study validates the impact of our work.”

The class ended with a group photo — and a sea of FC Barcelona shirts — a reminder that even in Boston, the presence of a Barça legend still sparks admiration.