The NR Sports company, directed by Neymar Jr.’s father, yesterday made official the purchase of the Pelé brand, thus returning the management of the image of the greatest idol of Brazilian football to the country in which he was born.
The operation was formalized after negotiations with the American agency Sport 10, which until now held the rights to exploit the products linked to the ‘King of football’.
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, in the presence of one of ‘o Rei’s daughters and former Santos players such as Pepe, Clodoaldo and Edu, although Neymar Jr. was not present. “Returning its brand to Brazil means giving back a piece of our identity,” Neymar’s father said at the event.
The business includes all global management rights, licensing and protection of the Pelé brand, from the name and signature to iconic images such as “the bicycle”.
New projects
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. With the creation of ‘Pelé Brand Brazil’ a phase begins in which Pelé’s legacy stops being just a symbol of the past to become a driver of social and cultural projects, they said. The plan also establishes alliances with Santos and actions that expand its influence in sporting life.
Although the value of the brand was not disclosed, which Neymar’s father said is “priceless”, local media indicated that the value of the company was approximately 42 million reais (7.9 million dollars or 6.7 million euros).
The Pelé brand was first sold in 2005 to the Brazilian agency Prime and subsequently sold in 2012 to Sport 10, directed by the British Paul Kemsley.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, considered by many to be the best footballer of all time, died on December 29, 2022 at the age of 82, due to complications from the cancer he suffered from.
Pelé is the only active or retired player to have won three World Cups, in 1958, 1962 and 1970. The striker spent practically his entire career at Santos, a club on the coast of São Paulo with which he won 48 titles, including two Copa Libertadores, before emigrating to the New York Cosmos, a brief stop at the end of his career in which he tried to popularize football 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 Canarinha he scored 95 goals, 77 of which in matches against other national teams, a record equaled only in Brazil by Neymar.
