Neymar Jr. may not be taking the field this month to rep Brazil in Copa America Centenario, but he’s still making moves in a major way. Neymar Jr. recently visited New York to meet Michael Jordan. The reason – the NJR X Jordan Collection – a Nike-Jordan-Neymar Jr. collaboration which makes Neymar Jr. the first football (soccer) athlete to feature the Jordan Jumpman on his performance product.
The Backstory
Neymar Jr. grew up a fan of the man and the brand, while Jordan appreciates Neymar Jr.’s style on and off the pitch. So naturally, a collaboration was a no-brainer. According to Neymar Jordan has always inspired him and he was always a fan of the brand.
“Michael Jordan me inspirou na busca pela excelência por tudo o que fez na carreira de treinar e buscar sempre ser melhor do que ele mesmo. E isso acho que foi algo que me inspirou, algo que eu fiquei pensando e tentando colocar na minha vida, tentando colocar no meu futebol, para que todo dia eu pudesse melhorar e ta sendo melhor do que eu mesmo.” (Translated: Michael Jordan inspired me in the search for excellence with everything he did in his career, his training and always seeking to be better than himself. And I think that was something that inspired me, something that I was always thinking about and trying to have in my life, trying to have in my football, so that every day I could improve and be better than myself.)
Meu primeiro tênis Jordan foi um presente da Nike, eu sempre usava pra ir a escola, não tirava do pé. Tanto que ele acabou abrindo na frente porque eu usava pra jogar bola também na escola. (Translated: My first Jordan shoes were a gift from Nike, I always used them at school, I didn’t take them off my feet. So much so that I ended up opening up the front because I used to play ball with them so much.)
So we know about the collaborators, what about the collection? Click to see more of it after the jump…