PokerStars Signs Brazilian Football Superstar Neymar Jr

Neymar Jr
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  • PG News May 7, 2015
  • 2 Minutes Read

After almost a year of no-continuations with several of its brand ambassadors, PokerStars has signed up Football star, Neymar Jr (cover image).

Though, this year, the popular site had tied up with Jason Somerville and Jamie Staples, the two were poker players, who had achieved a large following on Twitch TV. In late April, Jonathan Duhamel had been the latest to part ways with PokerStars.

Neymar Jr. is not only a football prodigy, but also a youth icon, with a huge social media fan following of 51.2 million Facebook fans and 18 million Twitter followers. The young Brazilian will represent PokerStars through participation in major live online and charitable events, advertising and special appearances.

The tie-up reiterates PokerStars commitment to adding more value and excitement to users of the platform. The online giant will also contribute to the Neymar Jr Project Institute through its corporate social responsibility cell, Helping Hands.

David Baazov, Amaya Chairman and CEO stated that the tie-up was an investment towards the global growth of poker and added, “Neymar Jr is a young and extremely charismatic megastar who loves interacting with fans on social media, is comfortable on camera and loves the game of poker.”

Baazov said. “And as a superstar with one of the world’s most famous football clubs and football nations, his appeal is global. This partnership is a great opportunity to market the game of poker across the globe and attract new fans.”

Neymar Jr is one of the brightest stars in the sporting world and PokerStars is proud to be associated with him. Together we will grow the popularity of poker and show new audiences the competitive, fun and strategic game of poker,” declared Michael Hazel, Interim CEO, PokerStars. “Working with Neymar Jr continues PokerStars’ history of investing in mainstream athletes who want to leverage their success in competitive sports to become successful poker players.”

In the past, several sports icons have been associated with poker, personally and via brand tie-ups and these include Australian cricketing legend Shane Warne, 14-time Grand Slam tennis champion Rafa Nadal, Brazilian football legend Ronaldo ‘el Fenómeno’ Nazário de Lima, and Holland’s Olympic gold winning hockey captain Fatima Moreira de Melo.

The attributes of strategy, patience, focus and planned aggression required for sports has lent itself admirably to poker, which demands the same and more, making these tie-ups popular with poker-loving masses.

Neymar Jr. has the advantage of already being a passionate poker player. His dog is revealingly named “Poker” and the Brazilian can be found regularly uploading posts and images of his poker scores and home games for his 14.5 million followers.

Commenting on the new alliance Neymar Jr said, “Growing up and playing football everyday has made me a competitive person. When I’m not playing football, playing poker and competing against my teammates on the road or in home games with friends is one of my favourite things to do.”

He further added, “To be a successful poker player, you require many of the same skills needed to be a successful footballer – mental strength is important; resilience, patience, composure and focus. I love the challenge, whether it’s on the football pitch or at the poker table.

Fans will be able to catch Neymar Jr. playing on PokerStars under the name “neymar-jr”.

The PokerStars European Poker Tour Season 12 will take off in Barcelona this August and is a popular crowd puller. This year, poker players and football fans will have the added attraction of watching Neymar Jr. display his poker skills in a series of “Celebrity Duels”, besides getting a chance to meet him.

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