Gary Lineker will soon swap the studio for the dugout after being confirmed as coach in the newly launched Baller League, alongside former Premier League stars and viral celebrities.
The Baller League has soared in popularity since its launch in Germany early this year by Mats Hummels and former Arsenal star Lukasz Podolksi and is now about to launch in England and the United States, with Lineker heavily involved as one star is.
Described as ‘a new form of progressive and hyper-excitable football’, Baller League is a competitive six-a-side football league that combines the traditional game with new rules.
Lineker – who will leave Match of the Day at the end of the season – has been appointed team manager in the competition, with fellow presenters Alan Shearer and Micah Richards also taking up coaching positions.
But the 63-year-old may not be the biggest name with a host of viral social media celebrities stealing the spotlight and capturing the attention of millions of football-mad fans around the world.
Mail Sport delves into some of the biggest names Lineker will appear alongside as the celebrated former England striker joins forces with YouTubers KSI, Chunkz and Angry Ginge for the brand new tournament.
Gary Lineker becomes manager in the brand new Baller League football competition
The Match of the Day presenter joins forces with several YouTubers for Baller League
KSI: Real name (Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji)
The celebrity who arguably has a bigger cult following than Lineker himself has been recruited as president of the UK League, while fellow viral star IShowSpeed will head up the US version.
KSI has become a household name since he first burst onto the screens of video game-loving teens in the 2010s and has gone on to achieve global success in music, boxing and massive entrepreneurial ventures that have helped him achieve multi-millionaire success.
The 31-year-old’s most celebrated business venture is his sports drink company PRIME, which he co-founded with fellow viral celebrity Logan Paul and went on to form official partnerships with Arsenal and the UFC.
PRIME surpassed sales of £900 million in its first full year of trading – although it has been the subject of several lawsuits – with KSI becoming a global icon in the sports and social media industries, where he is now one of the most recognized YouTubers.
He is still best known for his YouTube videos in which KSI is a key figure in the Sidemen group which was formed in 2013 along with a host of other collaborators and now has 21.8 million subscribers, while KSI’s main channel has more than has 16 million subscribers.
The group is best known for their crazy challenges, which often see them traveling the world and spending thousands of euros on bizarre and often hilarious videos that attract huge audiences.
KSI is also one of the original founders behind the Misfits Boxing brand, which often promotes crossover fights between former professional fighters and famous personalities, with the YouTuber himself fighting at various events.
His most notable fight came against Tommy Fury in October last year, when the younger brother of former world heavyweight champion Tyson ultimately emerged victorious after the fight went to a decision.
KSI (left) co-founded the drinks company PRIME with Logan Paul (right) and subsequently formed a partnership with Arsenal
KSI fought Tyson Fury’s younger brother Tommy last year and lost a close points decision
KSI has also had huge success as a musician and music producer, with his second solo album All Over The Place reaching No. 1 in the UK in 2021 and the London-born personality also winning several awards, including the BRIT Billion Award for surpassing a billion UK streams of his work. various songs.
KSI has also shown his real football skills on several occasions at charity football matches, with the Sidemen group recently selling out Wembley for an upcoming match.
KSI has also had success as a musician, as he achieved a No. 1 album in 2021
Chunkz: Real name (Amin Mohamed)
Chunkz is another YouTuber who has amassed a huge online following and is well known among football fans after appearing several times in the annual Soccer Aid match.
Like KSI, he has celebrated viral fame by helping to found the online streaming group Beta Squad, which has more than 10 million YouTube subscribers and garners huge numbers of views by doing a variety of online challenges and competitions.
Chunkz was born in London to Somali parents who emigrated to England in the 1980s. The youngest of five siblings only started his online video journey in 2015 after previously working in a cinema.
His passion for creating online content also led him to collaborate with fellow YouTuber Yung Filly, who is currently facing rape allegations in Australia.
Chunkz is also a big supporter of Arsenal and his online persona has even landed him presenting opportunities with the likes of Sky Sports and other notable broadcasters, winning several awards as well.
Earlier this year he took part in Match for Hope, a football charity game organized in Qatar and which, in addition to KSI, is also a regular part of the Sidemen charity matches.
In his new role within the Baller League, Chunkz will be the livestream presenter, hosting each weekly round of play, with the promotion kicking off in March next year and ending in May when a winner will be crowned.
YouTube sensation Chunkz has taken part in several Soccer Aid matches for charity
He has worked with Yung Filly (left) in the past, but Yung Filly is now facing rape allegations in Australia
Angry Ginge: real name (Morgan Burtwistle)
The Salford-born content creator is a relatively new and rising online star, but is quickly becoming a fan favorite and gaining huge popularity, especially among football supporters.
Best known by his viral moniker ‘Angry Ginge’, the 23-year-old is best known for his comedy, gaming and football content, with his official YouTube account now fast approaching over 1 million subscribers.
His EA FC videos are among his most popular, with the charismatic figure having formed several in-game Pro Clubs teams, with the likes of celebrated rapper Aitch and Man United legend Wayne Rooney even joining him in online matches.
Angry Ginge (pictured) has become famous on YouTube, largely thanks to his gaming content
Through his gaming, Angry Ginge has even formed an online friendship with Wayne Rooney
He has also appeared in hilarious videos alongside McLaren Formula 1 star Lando Norris, with the pair spending a day together in Monaco and racing driver Angry Ginge showing what life is like as an F1 superstar.
Taking a fresh and original approach to online content creation has also resulted in several sponsorship deals with Angry Ginge fronting JD Sports’ social campaign for their Euro 2024 coverage.
A self-confessed United fanatic, he has also built relationships with current players Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot and Antony.
Through his role in the Baller League, the viral social media star will take on the role of manager for one of the registered teams.
