By David Gold
April 3 – Brazilian wonderkid Neymar (pictured centre) is to be the best paid player in the recent history of the country’s football who has not moved to Europe, after he agreed a new sponsorship deal with car giant Volkswagen.
Reports say that the 20-year-old will pocket R5.5 million (£1.9 million/$3 million/€2.2 million) per month from his various sponsorship deals and contract with the Copa Libertadores holders.
Neymar already has deals in place with Nike, Panasonic, Claro, Red Bull, Tenys Pé Baruel, AmBev, Lupo, Santander and Unilever.
The Brazilian has recently been linked with a move to Europe, in particular to either Real Madrid or Barcelona, with his national team coach Mano Menezes encouraging him to make the switch across the Atlantic to test himself ahead of the World Cup being held in his homeland in 2014.
The forward is thought of as the most exciting youngster to have come out of Brazilian football in recent years.
The length of time he has stayed in Brazil though despite the interest in his services, as well as his current earnings, demonstrate the rising profile of the Brazilian game.
Fuelled by an economic boom which has 49 million people into the Brazilian middle classes, the country’s football teams can now spend more than ever before on players.
The Brazilian league, the Brasileirão, earlier this year rose above the Dutch league to become the sixth richest in the world, and some of its clubs now have sponsorship deals on a par with major European teams.
Santos’ fanbase has increased by over 150 per cent in recent years, helped in no small part by Neymar, as he helped the team win the Libertadores for the first time last year since the days of Pelé.
Like many in South America, Neymar is part owned by third parties, who are crucial to the game on the continent.
A significant proportion of his salary therefore is made up his sponsorship deals, which are particularly important to teams in Brazil and elsewhere on the continent, as they can help them to keep their star players for longer and resist overtures from rich European teams.
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