“I want to do it my way,” Neymar Jr. says in a new promo for Puma. The German brand announced a partnership with the Brazilian star of Paris Saint-Germain this weekend—about two weeks after Neymar and Nike, who’d reportedly sponsored the 28-year-old futbolista for 15 years, parted ways.
An incident during Sunday’s game against Olympique de Marseilles, however, has somewhat marred the positivity: Neymar Jr. says another player spewed racist insults at him after the match.
The Marseille player in question is Alvaro Gonzalez, who reportedly called Neymar Jr. a “monkey son-of-a-b**ch.” A red card was issued to Neymar Jr., as well as two other players, when he slapped Gonzalez on the back of the head in response during the ensuing brawl between the teams. With minutes left in the game, Neymar Jr. was expelled.
This game, though, marked Neymar Jr.’s debut in Puma’s heritage style King cleat, once worn by iconic players like Diego Maradona, Lothat Matthaus, and fellow Brazilian Pelé. “Despite the insult suffered, Sunday was special for the player,” according to his website.
