Why Neymar Became a Social Media Favorite

There’s a distinction between star players who excel at their sport and those who extend their influence beyond the realm of sports—and Neymar is one of those figures. He is a professional Brazilian soccer player who has played for the Brazilian national team, as well as two of the most famed soccer clubs in the world, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. While we’ll discover much about Neymar’s naturally charismatic personality and ventures outside soccer later in this article, it’s important to highlight just how talented he is on the pitch.

Neymar, with all his accolades and accomplishments, is, dare we say it, comparable to the likes of Ronaldo and Messi. Not many players have scored over 100 goals for multiple clubs, nor can they safely say they’re one of the world’s highest-paid athletes. And Neymar’s high salary is well justified, given his media status as a “true phenomenon.” He is a prolific playmaker and scorer, with a real-time mastery over the game, remarkable dribbling skills, and abilities similar to those of fellow Brazilian Ronaldinho.

There’s no doubt that Neymar’s soccer skills are a foundation for his immense wealth and popularity, but how did he earn his stripes on social media as a soccer phenomenon?

Personality On and Off the Field

If it isn’t simply looks and aesthetics, it’s personality that makes a social media star. Neymar’s inherent confidence and drive when playing the game cross over into his personal life, making him a charismatic and interesting figure that millions worldwide want to follow. As of October 2024, he has 225 million followers on Instagram, 63.8 million followers on X (formerly Twitter), and 91 million followers on Facebook—impressive numbers due to his widespread international appeal.

And although we’ve mentioned his talents on the field, we haven’t mentioned his genuine star quality with his style of play. To break free of the occasionally monotonous pace of a soccer game, Neymar entertains the crowd with captivating creativity and a playful and competitive spirit that makes him stand out. His authenticity is a big part of what makes him so likable, with his down-to-earth nature humanizing him as more of a friend to fans than a celebrity.

Impact Beyond Soccer

Like many Brazilians, Neymar is a Christian, frequently citing his faith as one of the most important aspects of his life. This dimension of his personality allows many people with similar views to relate to him on a deeper level. Whether he’s posting inspirational quotes or discussing his views on religion on his social media platforms, his followers will resonate with those messages both culturally and religiously. This faith-based persona acts as a jump-off point for other philanthropic ventures, including his yearly charity match, which he organizes with fellow soccer player Nenê to raise food for families. He also opened the Instituto Projeto Neymar Jr. in 2014 in Praia Grande, where his former team, Santos, is located and where he spent some of his childhood. There, children from underprivileged backgrounds participate in physical activities to foster sociocultural development.

Of course, Neymar has also donated money to countless organizations and causes, but his charitable work has been primarily focused on helping poverty-stricken Brazilian communities. His strong focus on his own country demonstrates his deep connection to his roots, and these efforts overall reinforce his image as a caring and compassionate player.

Branding and Sponsorships

Neymar represents the modern soccer player, but he wasn’t always the fashion icon that he’s touted as today. He was more of a typical athlete, adopting a basic street style that was fashionable but didn’t exactly make him stand out in the crowd. He cited David Beckham as someone who sparked his interest in fashion, and when he began to play for FC Barcelona, he was exposed to a style-conscious society and wanted to embrace a new personal style. He took more risks with his appearance and clothing out of uniform, thus adding an extra layer to his personality.

Naturally, brands wanted to work with someone of that status and caliber, and Neymar partnered with both athleticwear brands like Puma and lifestyle brands like Skims. Outside of fashion, he has signed with Panasonic, Volkswagen, Unilever, Beats, and other top brands. With these sponsorships came a bigger social media presence, with his likeness used in plenty of ads and campaigns.

Online Presence

Where Neymar is most relatable to the average person, however, is his online activities in gaming and gambling. He’s well-known for his love of gaming, streaming his exploits on popular games like Fortnite, Call of Duty, PUBG, and more, letting fans and everyday people interact with him in real time. He also has a YouTube channel that is currently inactive, where he posts clips from those streams too. These gaming activities have effectively connected him with a younger audience, where esports and gaming are incredibly commonplace. Neymar even officially became an ambassador for PUBG in 2022 to promote its latest map and was the first professional athlete to feature in Fortnite. He is intensely committed to his favorite games, with an inventory in the game CS:GO worth over $40,000.

Neymar is also an avid gambler, famously losing $1.17 million in a one-hour online casino session streamed on Twitch. With a monthly salary of £4.18 million at the time, however, we could argue that wasn’t too bad in the grand scheme of things—and playing through the types of sites found on Casinos.com is hard to resist considering the incredible payouts.

Sources: thedrum.com / afkgaming.com