Soccer superstar Neymar advertised right-wing extremist President Jair Bolsonaro online shortly before the elections in Brazil.
The offensive player of Paris St Germain published a video on TikTok in which he mimes a song with a smile that calls for a vote for Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro, who was recently well behind leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in polls, tweeted Neymar’s video and added “Thanks, @neymarjr!” added. A new head of state will be elected in Brazil on Sunday.
Wide distribution via social media
The day before, Neymar, who has more than eight million subscribers on TikTok and almost 180 million on Instagram, thanked the right-wing incumbent Bolsonaro for a visit to a children’s center he had founded in Sao Paulo. Communications Minister Fabio Faria and Bolsonaro’s son distributed a corresponding video message from the captain of the Brazilian national team.
While other Brazilian footballers such as Rai (ex-Paris) or Juninho (ex-Lyon) have already expressed their sympathies for Lula, Neymar is the first current Brazil international to voice his support for either candidate. A month ago, Bolsonaro published a photo of him with a ball that Neymar would have given him.