Brazilian superstar Neymar Jr’s status as one of the world’s most talented footballers has helped him climb towards the top of the ‘rich list’ of professional athletes.
Often described as the most ‘marketable sports person in the world’, the 32-year-old has made millions of dollars from sponsorship and endorsement deals during his career.
Neymar’s popularity has even allowed him to capitalize on his passion for online gaming, with streaming platforms falling over themselves to work with him. As revealed by ExpressVPN, the former Paris Saint-Germain star signed an exclusive streaming contract with Facebook Gaming in December 2021.
Given that Neymar currently has around 312 million followers on Facebook and Instagram, it is easy to understand why the social media giants were so keen to collaborate with him. The deal requires Neymar to stream his gameplay activities multiple times and play alongside a different creator each month.
Neymar and the Gaming Sector
Neymar Forges Strong Links With the Gaming Sector
One of Neymar’s most noteworthy collaborations was launched in July 2022 when he became the new official ambassador for battle royale title PUBG: Battlegrounds. Developers Krafton linked up with Neymar to promote their latest map, which he showcased during an online gaming session with his friends.
Neymar has streamed games of PUBG: Battlegrounds since it was first released in 2017, with clips regularly posted on his official Facebook page. The new deal cemented his relationship with Krafton and handed the company instant access to a massive global audience.
The Brazilian forward was also the first professional athlete to feature in the battle royale game Fortnite. He came with two football kit skins and a cat-like robot suit, although both were based on generic colour themes rather than his club or country designs.
His gear in Fortnite included an Aerial Acrobat Glide, a Jaguar Strike Pickaxe, a unique celebration Emote, and several in-game quests as well. Other famous athletes have subsequently featured in Fortnite, including LeBron James, Lewis Hamilton, and Patrick Mahomes.
Neymar’s passion for gaming has not always run smoothly, with his previous involvement with streaming gambling games on Twitch sparking plenty of controversy. He once reportedly lost an estimated $1 million during one session, which critics argued was hugely irresponsible behaviour.
Questions were subsequently raised regarding celebrity endorsements of gambling content, which led to further issues surrounding Twitch’s moderation of the content on the platform. Despite the controversy, Neymar was largely unfazed by his sizable loss.
He recently continued his involvement with gambling games by promoting a poker tournament in Sao Paolo. The event was held on the final day of the first stage of the 2024 Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP) and took place in a reserved room at the WTC Sheraton.
Around 50 guests of Neymar and the Brazilian national team were invited to participate, with the buy-in for the tournament set at $2,000. His involvement in the tournament demonstrated his ongoing passion for poker – a point evidenced by his long-standing link-up with one of the industry’s biggest brands. He regularly plays in televised events and has finished in the money.
Neymar has honed his skills for the cut and thrust of the poker world by playing one of the world’s best-selling board games – Sequence from Goliath Games. The game requires players to create rows of chips based on the cards in their hands.
The aim of the game is to get five in a line to make a Sequence. By blocking their opponents, players can remove their chips and move closer to achieving their goals. The strategic nature of the game undoubtedly bears similarities to some of the methodologies utilized in poker.
The Final Word
Neymar has developed a strong bond with the online gaming sector and will probably strengthen those ties once his playing career is over.