The star footballer Neymar and the Nike equipment supplier have ended their partnership, which had lasted for fifteen years, announced the American equipment supplier on Saturday. "I confirm that Neymar is no longer a Nike athlete," Josh Benedek, a spokesperson for the group, said in an email to AFP without providing details. Nike had signed the player when he was only 13 years old and had not yet appeared in the professional team within Santos, the legendary club of Pelé, in the state of Sao Paulo. The pre-teen's dribbling videos were already famous on the internet, however.
Talks with Puma?
Media claim the 28-year-old Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain forward is in talks with Nike's German rivals Puma. Brazilian news site UOL argued that Neymar and Nike had failed to come to an agreement on the amount of compensation the player will be paid for the renewal of his contract. Negotiations between its agents and the equipment manufacturer reached an impasse several months ago, according to UOL. Neymar's communications team did not respond to requests for an immediate reaction. Puma also did not respond to questions about whether the German supplier was in talks with the star.
Neymar, who has just lost in the Champions League final with PSG against Bayern Munich (1-0) after winning all three national trophies in France, holds the record for a transfer, with the 222 million euros paid by the capital club to FC Barcelona in the summer of 2017. Forbes magazine , which ranks him seventh highest paid celebrities in the world, estimates his income for this year at $ 95.5 million, including sponsorship contracts.