The company NR Sports, run by the father of Neymar Jr.made official this Tuesday the purchase of the Pelé brand, thereby returning the management of the image of the greatest Brazilian soccer idol to the country where he was born. The operationadvanced days ago by MD, It was formalized after a negotiation with the American agency Sport 10, which until now held the exploitation rights of products related to the ‘King of Soccer’.
The ceremony in which the repatriation of the brand was formalized took place at the Pelé Museum, in the city of Santos, on the coast of São Paulo, and was attended by one of ‘o Rei’s daughters and former Santos players such as Pepe, Clodoaldo and Edu, although Neymar Jr. was not present. “Returning his brand to Brazil is returning a piece of our own identity,” Neymar’s father stated at the event.
The business includes all global management, licensing and protection rights for the Pelé brand, from the name and signature to iconic images such as “the bicycle.” The new managers announced the development of a new phase of the brand, which includes educational, cultural and commercial projects aimed at keeping the star’s legacy alive for future generations.
Neymar was ‘present’ at the event held in Santos
With the creation of ‘Pelé Brand Brasil’ begins a stage in which Pelé’s legacy stops being only a symbol of the past and becomes a driving force for social and cultural projects, they stated. The plan also establishes alliances with Santos and actions that expand its influence in sporting life.
Although the values of the brand were not disclosed, which Neymar’s father said is “invaluable”, local media indicate that the value of the business was about 42 million reais (6.7 million euros). The Pelé brand was sold for the first time in 2005 to the Brazilian agency Prime and later transferred in 2012 to Sport 10, directed by the British Paul Kemsley.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, considered by many the best footballer of all time, died on December 29, 2022 at the age of 82, due to complications from the cancer he suffered. Pelé is the only active or retired player to have won three World Cups, in 1958, 1962 and 1970.
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The forward spent practically his entire career with Santos, a club on the São Paulo coast with which he won 48 titles, including two Copa Libertadores, before emigrating to the New York Cosmos, a brief stage at the end of his career in which he tried to popularize soccer in the United States.
The eternal “10” scored 1,283 goals throughout his professional career, which earned him a Guinness award, including 757 goals in official matches, the only ones recognized by FIFA. With the Canarinha he scored 95 goals, 77 of them in games against other national teams, the latter record only equaled in Brazil by Neymar.
