Neymar and Nike separate after 15 years of partnership

Divorce after fifteen years together. 28-year-old footballer Neymar and equipment supplier Nike have ended their partnership. “I confirm that Neymar is no longer a Nike athlete,” said Josh Benedek, a spokesperson for the group, in an email sent to AFP, without providing details.

Nike signed the current player from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) when he was only 13 years old and had not yet appeared in the professional team within Santos, the legendary Brazilian club of Pelé, in the State of Sao Paulo. The pre-teen’s dribbling videos were already famous on the internet.

Media claim the Brazilian striker is in talks with Nike’s German rival Puma. The Brazilian news site UOL claims that the break with Nike results from a failure of negotiations on the amount of the player’s remuneration for the renewal of his contract. Negotiations between its agents and the equipment manufacturer reached an impasse several months ago, according to UOL.

More than a footballer, a real brand

Neymar’s communications team did not respond to requests. Puma also did not respond to questions about whether the German supplier is in talks with the star. The Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo assures that the last contract signed by Neymar with Nike lasted eleven years to expire in 2022, for a total of 105 million dollars (about 87.5 million euros).

Neymar, who has just lost in the final of the Champions League (the most prestigious European club competition) with PSG against Bayern Munich (1-0) after winning all three national trophies in France, holds the record for a transfer , with 222 million euros paid by the capital club to FC Barcelona (Spanish League) in the summer of 2017. Forbes magazine, which ranks it seventh among the highest paid celebrities in the world, estimates its income for this year to 95.5 million dollars (about 80 million euros), an amount that takes into account sponsorship contracts.

Neymar quickly became a brand, millionaire in dollars and in subscribers on social networks. He cultivates a colorful look made of bling-bling clothes and accessories, studied and updated hairstyles as well as tattoos galore. Ney, his nickname, feeds his fans like no one else with the chronicle of his footballing exploits such as extra-sports scenes, images of parties and private life, with in particular his sister and his son or his ex-girlfriend, the star of telenovela Bruna Marquezine, through the register of fashion and advertising.

Tax disputes, simulations, injuries and charges

But the Neymar brand has also suffered some setbacks in recent years, such as his fiscal troubles in Spain when he played at FC Barcelona (2013-2017), his simulations at the 2018 World Cup, which have covered him with ridicule according to his detractors. , and his repeated injuries to PSG which cast a shadow over his staggering transfer of 2017 with his name on the Eiffel Tower as a bonus. There were also the rape accusations made by a young Brazilian woman last year. Nike then expressed its “deep concern”, before assuring the player of its support once the case was closed by the Brazilian police for lack of evidence.

Neymar, who aspired to become the best player in the world by coming to Paris and thus coming out of the Barcelona shadow of Lionel Messi, played a major role in 2019-2020 in the conquest of the national grand slam of PSG (victories in the Championship de France, Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue and Trophée des Champions). But two facts prevented him from taking full advantage of the high level of play he has achieved during this season: the Covid-19 pandemic, which has chopped the year, and the failure in the Champions League final at the end of a match where he did not shine.