Brazilian soccer player Neymar Jr. has signed a deal with sportswearcompany Puma, as the fashion brand works on competing with competitors Nikeand Adidas. With Cristiano Ronaldo signed to Nike and Lionel Messi signedto Adidas, Puma now has a heavyweight soccer star of their own as a brandambassador. Rumors of Neymar signing with Puma began when he ended hiscontract with Nike early.
As part of his new contract with Puma, Neymar will wear the Puma Kingfootball boot on the pitch and will be an ambassador for Puma productsoff-pitch. “Neymar Jr. joining our PUMA Family is fantastic”, said BjørnGulden, CEO of PUMA, in a statement. “He is one of the best players in theworld and extremely influential for the global football and youth culture.We are very excited and look forward to working with him both on and offthe pitch."
In a message to his fans on his social media channels entitled “The KING isBack”, Neymar Jr. spoke about the impact that football greats such as Peléand Maradona have had on his life, and his decision to follow in theirfootsteps by partnering with PUMA.
“I grew up watching videos of great football legends such as Pelé, Cruyff,Matthäus, Eusébio and Maradona” Neymar Jr. said via Instagram. “These werethe KINGs of the pitch, the KINGs of my sport. I wish to bring back thelegacy that those athletes created on the pitch. They each played in Puma,and each of them created their magic in The KING.”
He added that, “Every time I lace my boots, my KING boots, I will doanything to achieve all of my dreams to honor my name and that of all thosegreat ones who wore the KING before me. This will be my Puma history. TheKING is back!”
Neymar Jr. has won several trophies in Brazil, Spain, and France, as wellas the Champions League and Copa Libertadores. He also won the Olympic GoldMedal with the Brazilian National Team in 2016. He has scored 21 goals in101 matches for Brazil, making him the third highest scorer for hisnational team.
He currently plays for Paris Saint-German and has won three French leaguetitles, two Coupe de France, and two Coupe la Ligue. He played an importantrole in leading the club to its first ever Champions League Final in 2020.
photo: courtesy of Puma
