PokerStars Signs Global Superstar Neymar Jr As Brand Ambassador

Home » Poker News » PokerStars Signs Global Superstar Neymar Jr As Brand Ambassador

Monday, May 11th, 2015 | Written by Stephen Smith

PokerStars may have slimmed its roster of sponsored pros of late, but the site has continued its marketing strategy of signing celebrities who have the potential to bring the game to a wider audience. Well-known sponsored players at the site include tennis ace Rafael Nadal, Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldo, Dutch hockey world champion Fatima Moreira de Melo, and Japanese supermodel Yuiko Matsukawa. Now, PokerStars has pulled off another major coup by making FC Barcelona superstar Neymar Jr. its latest brand ambassador and commenting on the Brazilian’s signing, Amaya CEO David Baazov said:

“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. 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.”

Sporting Superstar

Neymar Júnior, 23, played at Brazilian football club Santos FC for 4 years, during which time he scored in half of all the 103 games he played at the club. In 2013, Neymar then moved to FC Barcelona where he has continued to delight crowds with 30 goals from 56 appearances. In the meantime, Neymar was made captain of Brazil’s National Team, and has scored a remarkable 43 goals in 62 matches, including 4 at the 2014 World Cup, although an injury during the quarterfinals prevented him from potentially winning the Golden Boot award, eventually won by Colombia’s James Rodríguez with 6 goals.

Keen Poker Player

Neymar has been an avid social media user over the years, and has a legion of fans following his life and career, including 18 million fans on Twitter, and a massive 51 million on Facebook. Nevertheless, Neymar’s interests extend far beyond soccer, and over the years the Brazilian star has often expressed his fondness for poker, and posted numerous photos of games he has held at home. In fact, Neymar’s pet dog is even called ‘Poker’, and after Brazil’s crushing FIFA World Cup 7-1 defeat to Germany in 2014, the Brazilian said he organized a poker game to console himself. Commenting on his latest endorsement deal, Neymar had this to say:

“Poker is a huge passion of mine.. 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 favorite things to do”, before adding, “I want to push myself against the world’s best players. I want to experience the thrill of PokerStars games and see if I can win poker’s biggest prizes.”

PokerStars Global Sponsorship Strategy

In order to attract a younger mainstream demographic and appeal to a global audience, PokerStars has trimmed away its stable of older sponsored pros and has now branched out into new markets. Obvious examples which spring to mind include signing Asian players and celebrities, western players specializing in live twitch streams, and, of course, sporting superstars who would like to reproduce their competitive success at the poker tables.

Soccer is the world’s most popular sport and consequently not a week seems to go by without some internationally recognized player being linked to a PokerStars deal. Last month, for instance, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was apparently offered a lucrative sponsorship deal to promote the brand, although the Paris Saint-Germain striker ultimately turned down the opportunity. A day before the Neymar Jr deal was announced, Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo was also rumored to be the next sports star to receive sponsorship after he posted a photo of himself on Instagram playing poker with a PokerStars chip set. However, PokerStars has now netted Neymar Jr, and as PokerStars CEO Michael Hazel, explains:

“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. 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.”

Brand Ambassador

As well as joining the other members of Team PokerStars Sports, Neymar Jr will also feel at home amongst the members of Team PokerStars Brazil, which includes André Akkari and Caio Pessagno, Team Portugal’s João Nunes and Andre Coimbra, as well as Team Spain’s Leo Margets. Each year, the PokerStars European Poker draws huge crowds to the immensely popular tournament series, and this year is sure to prove even more popular than before, as
players will be given the chance to meet and even play against Neymar Jr at the Casino Barcelona from August 19-30. Neymar Jr will also expect to compete in a series of “Celebrity Duels”, when he’s not playing poker online as part of his new duties.