Who Is Ibai Llanos? What To Know About The Twitch Star
How Ibai Llanos Became One Of The World's Biggest Streamers
Published
The rise of streaming platforms over the course of the decade has created plenty of unlikely stars -- including Ibai Llanos, a streamer who's achieved celebrity status through his online work.
The internet personality's gone from a teenager recording his gaming sessions with his fans to hosting high-profile events -- with millions of fans tuning in to watch all the fun.
Here's a look at how the streamer went from humble beginnings to schmoozing with some of the biggest names in sports and social media today.
Llanos Was Born And Raised In Northern Spain
Llanos was born and raised in Bilbao, the largest city in Spain's Basque Country, way up in the country's northeast.
The streamer became interested in video games at an early age, and he began streaming on Twitch at just 15 years old, where he would play "Call of Duty" with his friends, according to the New York Times.
Although his public profile wasn't initially very high, he landed a job as an announcer for a Spanish esports league, and he moved to Barcelona, where he started getting involved in various events and collaborations centered on gaming.
He eventually left the position and began streaming on his own Twitch channel, where he built up an immense following after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and became one of the most popular users on the platform ... where he currently has 19.8 million followers.
Llanos also co-founded esports organization KOI alongside former professional soccer player Gerard Piqué in 2021, and its teams competed in various games, including "League of Legends" and "Valorant."
Ibai's Events Have Drawn In Millions Of Viewers
With a following of nearly 20 million, ya gotta imagine there's plenty of fans out there who'd like to see the man himself in action ... and Llanos eventually began hosting live events to connect more closely with his fans.
The streamer created a crossover boxing series titled "La Velada del Año," translated in English to "The Night of the Year," where internet celebrities and streamers are pitted against each other.
Although the first one was a relatively quiet affair, as it took place during the pandemic without attendees, Llanos' subsequent events drew millions of viewers.
The fifth and most recent edition, which also featured several musical performances, drew in more than 14 million concurrent viewers at its peak.
Llanos became the most-followed individual on Twitch following the event, surpassing figures like Ninja and Kai Cenat.
He's Become Close With Several Pro Athletes
Remember how we talked about Llanos partnering up with Piqué a little earlier on? Turns out, the streamer's actually become pretty tight with several other athletes over the course of his career.
The internet figure's become known for hanging out with various athletes on Twitch, where he typically chills out with his guests while they chat and play video games, with no hard-hitting questions involved.
Although Llanos has occasionally been criticized for his nontraditional interview style, he described himself to the New York Times as an "entertainer" as opposed to a journalist, and claimed his easygoing rapport with athletes made others "want to come" and join his streams.
The streamer's actually been present for a few big moments in sports, and he managed to speak with Lionel Messi just after the soccer legend left FC Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain -- before anyone else was able to get to the athlete.
Llanos later confessed he had been nervous while speaking with Messi -- whose farewell dinner was also attended by the streamer -- and described the moment as a "bit like having vertigo."
