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Media reports said the 28-year-old Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil talisman was in talks with Nike’s German rival Puma.
FILE: Paris Saint-Germain Brazilian forward Neymar celebrates after scoring a goal during the French L1 soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace (RCS) on September 14, 2019 at Parc Stadium des Princes of Paris. Image: AFP
RIO DE JANEIRO – Nike parted ways with Neymar, ending one of their highest-profile endorsement deals a decade and a half after signing the star forward as a 13-year-old prodigy.
“I can confirm that Neymar is no longer a Nike athlete,” a spokesman for the US sportswear giant said in an email to AFP on Saturday, without giving details.
Media reports said the 28-year-old Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil talisman was in talks with Nike’s German rival Puma.
“We generally don’t comment on rumors,” replied a Puma spokesperson in Germany.
Brazilian news site UOL said Neymar and Nike had failed to reach an agreement on how much money they would pay him to renew his contract.
He said that negotiations between the company and the footballer’s agents had run into trouble months ago.
Neymar’s communications team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo said Neymar’s last deal with Nike was an 11-year contract that would expire in 2022, for a total value of $ 105 million.
Neymar, who has just emerged from the heartache of narrowly losing the Champions League final to Bayern Munich, holds the record for the most expensive soccer transfer in history.
PSG paid 222 million euros to bring him from Barcelona in 2017.
Forbes magazine, which ranks him as the seventh highest-paid celebrity in the world, estimates his earnings for this year at $ 95.5 million, including endorsement deals.
Neymar signed his first contract with Nike as a youth standout at Brazilian Santos, who sold him to Barcelona in 2013.
With his slim beauty, tattoos, ever-changing hairstyles and a huge following on social media, the player soon burst onto the international scene, dazzling the soccer world with the skills he honed playing futsal on the streets. from the suburbs of Sao Paulo.
But his brand, already tainted by accusations of tax fraud over his shady transfer to Barça, was badly damaged last year when a Brazilian woman accused him of raping her.
Nike expressed “deep concern” at the time, but supported the player after police closed the case, citing a lack of evidence.
Neymar will continue to wear Nike clothing on the pitch: the company sponsors both PSG and the Brazilian team.
The company sponsors many of the sport’s most iconic names, including Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Cristiano Ronaldo, Serena Williams, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy.
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