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Football's Most Iconic Name Has Just Been Signed For £13 Million

It has been reported that Neymar, alongside his father, has completed the purchase of Pelé’s brand rights, securing control of one of the most powerful identities in football history.

Since the death of the footballing icon in late 2022, Pele’s brand has been used infrequently, and this move seeks to bring Pele’s image back to once again compete in the market. The previous manager, Sport10, was seen as not being able to capitalise on his image.

🚨 Neymar’s father buys Pelé’s brand in a multimillion-euro deal.

· Through his company NR Sports, Neymar’s father has acquired the image rights to Pelé for around €15 million.

· The deal comes after Pelé’s brand had lost commercial momentum since his death. The previous… pic.twitter.com/sehtWzw2Xt
— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) November 18, 2025

The deal will include:

Official use of Pelé's name and image
Product and project licence
Management of historical archives and heritage related to the Brazilian player

Sources close to NR Sports, the company that manages the image rights for Neymar, reported that the deal was closed for $18 million (£13,714,290).

The official announcement of the purchase will be made later today, on November 19th, a date that coincides with the 56th anniversary of Pele’s 1000th goal.

🚨🚨| BREAKING: Neymar and his father have secured Pelé’s entire brand legacy for $18 million, gaining full image rights, name use and historic archives. 🇧🇷💰

Official reveal is set for Wednesday, on the anniversary of the Pelé’s 1000th goal.

[@UOL] pic.twitter.com/9ESsRWGDAm
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) November 17, 2025

How Did We Get Here?

At Santos, there has always been a prince and a king.

The king is undoubtedly Pele. One of the greatest players of all time, Pelé set the world alight at Santos between 1956 and 1974, where he won six league titles and two Copa Libertadores, while scoring 643 goals in 659 games.

There is no doubt in my mind that Pele is the greatest teenager to ever play.

And just like the king, there is only one player who has earned the title of prince. Neymar.

The Brazilian forward needs no introduction.

615 club games played, 366 goals. Seven league titles, one Champions League, and in 2011, he helped Santos win their first Copa Libertadores since Pelé’s win in 1963.

On the 9th December 2023, Neymar overtook Pelé’s record of 77 goals for Brazil, as he scored a brace in a 5-1 win against Bolivia to take his total to 79. The ex-Barcelona forward is yet to score for the national team since then.

NEYMAR PASSED PELÉ TO BECOME 🇧🇷’S ALL-TIME GOAL SCORER 🔝 pic.twitter.com/iIZabWccPM
— 433 (@433) September 9, 2023

Whilst Pelé is beyond a doubt Santos’s greatest ever player, Neymar would reside in most people's top three. The silky Brazilian winger started his career at Peixe in 2003 and stayed there until 2013, when his big-money transfer to Barcelona was finalised.

Neymar had already caught the eye of Europe’s elite, and in 2011, he became the first, and so far only, player in history to finish inside the top 10 of the Ballon d’Or without playing in Europe.

When Neymar left Brazil for Barcelona, there were many doubts about whether the Santos prince would ever return. But after 12 years of Neymar dazzling audiences in Europe and the Middle East, the long-awaited son returned home to his throne.

sou SANTOS pra Kr!@ 🤍🖤 pic.twitter.com/40bUnkFDCc
— Neymar Jr (@neymarjr) November 16, 2025

But his return has not been one to write home about. After Santos were relegated in the 2023 season, they were immediately repromoted the year after. But 2025 has been a long, hard struggle for the former giants of Brazil.

With just five games left of this season, the club sit 16th, one point above the drop.

And with Santos’ last five opponents fighting for either Copa Libertadores places or survival—the only exception being their clash with a Sport side whose relegation is already confirmed—Santos’ margin for error has all but evaporated.

But maybe, just maybe, this can be a chance for Neymar to show he truly does belong on the throne of Santos.