Brazilian phenomenon Neymar curled a shot inside the near post and leaped into the air. The goal that helped his Santos team win last year's South American club championship wowed five executives from Japanese video game company Konami, who were in the stands. "The way that the crowd was reacting, and the next couple days all the media talking about how great Neymar was, he reminded us of Messi when he was a lot younger," said Erik Bladinieres, Konami's director for Latin America, referring to Barcelona's three-time world player of the year. "That's when we decided we wanted to have him." Konami struck a deal to put Neymar da Silva Santos Jr and his signature Mohawk on the cover of its italics Pro Evolution Soccer game throughout the region, joining a parade of multinationals including Nike, Volkswagen and Unilever that have signed the 20-year-old star. Eike Batista, Brazil's richest man, recruited Neymar for his venture with IMG Worldwide that will steer his career in Brazil and beyond. It is beyond that could prove tricky. While Neymar is the top-paid player in Brazil, a premature move to Europe could jeopardise his money machine, said Stephen Greyser, a Harvard Business School marketing professor specialising in sports business. Neymar failed to score in this year's Olympics semi-finals and final, which Brazil lost to underdogs Mexico. In the Tokyo final of last year's Club World Cup, Neymar's team failed to score, while Messi netted twice in Barcelona's 4-0 win. "Why would he want to risk going to Europe now and potentially demystifying the mystique?" Greyser said. Neymar was born in Mogi das Cruzes, a factory city outside Sao Paulo. He made his debut for Santos - the club made famous by Pele, one of his role models - at the age of 17. On October 17, he played his 200th game for the club, scoring his 119th goal. Brazil, for the second straight year, are top of the rankings of the hottest emerging retail markets. Last season, Neymar made an estimated €13.8 million (HK$139 million) a year in salary and endorsements, making him the 13th best-paid soccer player in the world. Messi tops the list at €33 million, yet London-based SportsPro magazine picked Neymar as the world's most marketable athlete. He has been linked with many European clubs but says it's too early for him to follow the path of almost every Brazilian star. "Why didn't you go to Europe, dude?" a friend asks the shirtless Neymar on a beach in a soft-drink ad. It then cuts to Neymar in thick winter wear struggling to perform his fancy footwork in a snowstorm. Then back to the beach, where a grinning Neymar responds: "Not now." Neymar's managers point out that Europe is suffering an economic crisis that could hurt his immediate earning prospects. Brazil, in contrast, has overtaken Italy and Britain to become the world's sixth-largest economy. "It's a difficult economic moment in Europe," said Alan Adler, chief executive of IMX Talent, Batista's joint venture with New York-based IMG. "Brazil is still growing, strongly or not." In Brazil, where his image pops up on billboards, subway posters and magazine ads, as well as television, Neymar faces a different risk: overexposure. "Neymar today is oversold" in his homeland, Adler said. "We have to wait for some contracts to end to be able to start looking for new partnerships, more planned partnerships that add value." While sponsorships were a factor, the main driver behind his decision to stay at Santos was his contract that goes through the World Cup, said Eduardo Musa, the player's manager. Musa dismissed concerns Neymar's brand was oversold, adding that new endorsement contracts are always possible. Neymar's 65kg frame is slight for a star striker - that did not stop one firm featuring him in underwear ads. His physique is an asset for marketers seeking to lure young consumers with a figure they can look up to, said Jefferson Slack, senior vice-president for global football at IMG. "He's got everything that you want: He's a scorer, he's exciting, kids relate to him." Slack, a former CEO of Inter Milan, said. Neymar also provides a runway for companies trying to reach Brazil's booming consumer market, said Kenneth Shropshire, faculty director at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton Sports Business Initiative. "What he brings with him is not just an 18-to-35 male kind of demographic," Shropshire said. "He brings Brazil with him; that's where you see the value" to multinational retailers. Among those seeking to benefit from his golden touch is America Movil, the mobile phone operator owned by Carlos Slim, the world's richest man. On September 13, Neymar wrote to his more than five million Twitter followers, "Now I know a ton about 4G," with a link to a website run by America Movil. Neymar also lends his name to smaller sponsors, hawking everything from dandruff shampoo to car batteries. Such deal-making in Brazil may continue a while longer. A prodigy like Neymar no longer needs to seek the fast buck in Europe and can have a satisfying career in any market he chooses, said Roma CEO Mark Pannes. "That decision-making process speaks to the empowerment of athletes that hasn't existed up until the last 10 years or so," Pannes said. "Guys are now calling their own shots." Bloomberg
