Neymar Junior Competes in the 2022 WSOP

06:30
18 Jun

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is known for attracting celebrities from all over the world. However, it does not get any bigger than Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior playing in the WSOP.

PokerStars Cultural Ambassador Neymar tried his luck at winning a gold bracelet on Sunday. The prolific Paris Saint-Germain striker participated in Event # 26: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship. Nevertheless, he failed to cash or even make it to Day 2.

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Avid poker fan

It's not the first time Neymar played in the WSOP, but it was the maiden time he participated in a gold bracelet tournament. He appeared at the Amazon Room at The Rio in 2015 on Day 5 of the 2015 WSOP Main Event to express support for Brazilian players.

His sixth-place finish at the 2018 Brazilian Series of Poker High Rollers tournament in Sao Paulo earned him $21,072 and is his best career score.

Neymar joined a $10/$25 no-limit hold 'em cash game after his elimination at Paris Las Vegas. Hustler Casino Live co-owner Ryan Feldman took a short clip of the game.

Neymar playing $10/25 NL cash game right now pic.twitter.com/NmEI5SBut8

— Ryan Feldman (@TheRyanFeldman) June 13, 2022

The 30-year-old player will always be most renowned for his on-field skills. However, he has also become a poker fanatic, and his poker skills are likely more incredible than you would expect.

PokerStars appointed Neymar as a Cultural Ambassador earlier this year to reach a broad international clientele. Finding someone who could achieve that purpose more effectively would be hard. Besides, most sports experts consider Neymar one of the world's top three or four most renowned players. He has approximately 57 million Twitter followers and millions of global supporters.

According to Forbes, Neymar was the fourth-highest paid athlete in the world this year. He made $70 million on the pitch and an additional $25 million on endorsements.

Neymar's teammates at PSG, Lionel Messi ($130 million), NBA prodigy and prospective Las Vegas team owner LeBron James ($121.2 million), and Portuguese soccer sensation Cristiano Ronaldo ($115 million) earned more than Neymar.

Neymar regularly competes against other Brazilians and PokerStars ambassadors Andre Akkari and Rafael Moraes, both of whom are experienced poker players. As per reports, the talented athlete has held his own against the poker players on the table.

Neymar was seen posing for photos with his fans on Sunday. Maybe he'll return to the WSOP a couple more times this summer.