Brazilian icon Neymar has emulated David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo by investing heavily in luxury superyachts. The Santos forward completed his £17m signing shortly after his country were eliminated from this summer’s World Cup. Neymar, 34, was playing in his last major tournament for the Selecao.
He scored his 80th and final international goal with the winning kick in the Round of 16 defeat to Norway, but hinted after the match that he would not represent his country again. The yacht, a converted cargo ship built in Brazil, docked in Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro state, on Monday, Nautica said. It is over 46 meters long, has a “usable area” of 800 square meters, and is powered by four Caterpillar engines, each producing 1,450 horsepower.
Yacht architect Fernando de Almeida is reported to have built the vessel, which was named Enejota. The designation corresponds to the Portuguese rendering of the letters “NJ”, Neymar Jr.’s initials.
Neymar’s colleagues Ronaldo and Beckham are similarly famous for purchasing yachts. The former club invested £5.5 million in a major purchase after his then club Juventus won Serie A in 2020.
Beckham reportedly plans to buy a new yacht by 2024. The former England international and his wife Victoria were pictured aboard the £16 million boat instead of their previous £5 million boat, but it remains unclear whether the couple actually owned the more expensive option.
The acquisition comes just days after Neymar ended his international career. “I worked hard, I tried hard. It’s over,” the forward told Globo. “I started here (Brazil debut in New York) and ended here.”
His remarks were in reference to the fact that his first and last games as an international were played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
He found the back of the net in both games, scoring an impressive 80 senior goals for Brazil in a friendly against the United States in 2010 and in his World Cup exit 16 years later.
The loss to Norway marked the end of Carlo Ancelotti’s first major tournament as head coach of Brazil. The Italian tactician was keen to focus on rebuilding after Erling Haaland’s brace prevented an early red card.
“What I want to say is that we will continue to do our job and continue to look for new ideas,” Ancelotti said. “That’s the same thing we did this year.”
