Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero join padel! Esports team backed by Argentine legends follow Andy Murray, Robert Lewandowski and Rafael Nadal into Hexagon Cup

After the success of its first edition, the Hexagon Cup – a revolutionary padel tournament backed by high-profile sports heroes including Rafael Nadal, Robert Lewandowski and Andy Murray – will return with a star-studded addition.

Padel is a racket sport booming in global popularity, with an estimated 25million active players worldwide.

Since securing the backing of DMG Ventures, the inaugural Hexagon Cup successfully lured the very best international padel players to compete in six teams.

The second edition, set to take place between January 29 and February 2 2025, will include a seventh team consisting of the number four ranked Federico Chingotto and 13th-seed Claudia Jensen of Kru Padel by Taktika.

The outfit bidding to shake things up at the next tournament at the Madrid Arena are a sports division of the Kru Esports, which is owned by Lionel Messi and his former Argentina team-mate Sergio Aguero.

The first edition of the tournament took place in at the Madrid Arena earlier this year and proved to be a hit

Several high-profile stars, including Eva Longoria (pictured) had teams competing in the inaugural tournament

Federico Chingotto and Claudia Jensen will compete in the men’s and women’s tournaments, with their partners to be decided during a draft later this year

The groundbreaking format sees the franchise teams – made up of three pairs in Male, Female and Next Gen categories – initially compete in a round robin qualification before fighting for the title.

‘We are incredibly excited to expand Kru into such a dynamic sport as padel, especially alongside Taktika Padel.’ Aguero said in a statement.

‘Hexagon is a platform that is taking this sport to another level, and we’re here to compete and give our best. The names joining our team, including two outstanding Argentinians, speak for themselves: talented players who make us proud, and we are pleased to support their professional development.

‘This project is a new way of bringing Kru’s values ​​to a wider audience, and we’re highly motivated by this challenge. We are confident that Kru Padel will rise to the occasion.’

Aguero launched KRU Esports in 2020, playing the likes of FIFA, Rocket League, League of Legends and Valorant competitively with impressive results. Messi was obviously impressed with what he saw and was convinced to join Aguero as a co-owner in 2023.

Partners for Chingotto and Jensen, as well as a Next Gen roster will be selected in a draft taking place next month or in the beginning of November.

Launched with the strapline, ‘For the fans, for the players, for the game’, the Hexagon Cup has eagerly placed spectators at the forefront of their planning, with live music, entertainers and padel experiences accompanying the sporting action.

Sergio Aguero KRU Esports in 2020 before bringing Messi on as a co-owner in November 2023

Andy Murray’s AD/vantage team claims the men’s and women’s titles during the first competition

Earlier this year, Martin Di Nenno and Juan Tello of Murray’s AD/vantage Team, became the inaugural men’s winners, while it was a senior sweep for the three-time Grand Slam winner as his roster – which included Alejandra Salazar and Tamara Icardo – secured the women’s title.

Lewandowski also got in on the action, with his team of David Gala and Enzo Jensen prevailing in the Next Gen category.