Neymar‘s relationship with Nike, an American sportswear making company, has ended after 15 years, and he is reportedly in talks with Puma, a rival of the company.
The Paris Saint Germain talisman first signed for Nike while still entertaining football fans at a Brazilian club, Santos. He was just 13-year-old when he landed the endorsement deal.
The American sportswear making company stood by Neymar even when a lady accused him of rape. Unlike in other cases where big brands like Nike would wake away when their clients are accused of image damaging act such as rape, the company supported him until the court ruled that he was innocent.
When the Brazilian moved to Barcelona from Santos in 2013, Nike was behind him, supplying his kits and other accessories a player of his caliber deserves. The company also followed Neymar to Paris Saint Germain when he made his record-breaking 222 million euros move from Barcelona in 2017.
“I can confirm Neymar is no longer a Nike athlete,” a spokesman for Nike, Josh Benedek, told AFP on Saturday via an email. Besides this, as of the time of publishing this report, the sportswear making company was yet to make any official statement regarding the discontinuation of its relationship with Neymar.
However, Brazilian news site UOL reported that Neymar had to end his relationship with Nike because the two parties failed to agree on a new endorsement fee. Hence, the Brazilian forward who is still nursing the wound of losing in the final of the 2019-2020 UEFA Champions League, had to wake away for a better offer.
What was Neymar’s relationship with Nike?
Just as stated earlier, Neymar has been in a business relationship with Nike since he was 13-year-old. He ended up becoming one of the high profile athletes on the payroll of the American sportswear making company.
According to Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, the last time Neymar renew his contract with Nike in 2009, the Brazilian international signed an 11-year deal which was expected to expire in 2022. The contract which had two years lifeline before it was terminated, reportedly worth a total of $105 million.
Neymar probably wanted an improved remuneration package since he has become a bigger football star and Nike which has been battling to remain in business especially in Europe due to stiff competition from German sportswear making company Puma and other companies springing up across Europe including ‘New Balance’, refused to improve the remuneration package to Neymar’s taste.
Hence, the 28-year-old year Brazilian star is expected to announce a new deal with Puma anytime soon according to viral reports. If that happens, it will be interesting to see how PSG will handle it since the French Ligue 1 champions are being sponsored by Nike.
