A man known for impersonating Brazilian soccer star Neymar sparked a fan frenzy at a shopping mall ahead of the athlete’s return to professional play in his home country.
The lookalike, whose real name is Eigon Oliveira, was spotted at a shopping mall Saturday in Santos, a coastal city in the state of São Paulo.
Scores of giddy fans surrounded the 32-year-old doppelgänger as security escorted him to a sneaker shop for a promotional appearance.
Oliveira could be seen stopping to sign autographs before footage of the frantic scene caught the attention of the real Neymar, who gave him the seal of approval.
‘Are you kidding me, before me?’ joked Neymar, who last week returned to Santos, the club with whom he made his professional debut at the age of 17 in 2002.
‘Pay attention to all the Santos fans, they deserve it, they live in my heart,’ Brazil’s all-time leading scorer told Oliveira.
‘Since I can’t be everywhere, represent me well here. And stop messing around, okay, I’m watching.’
Neymar’s reaction to the video may have put aside the differences he had with Oliveira after he filed a lawsuit against him in July 2024.
Eigon Oliveira, who impersonates Brazilian soccer star Neymar, caused frenzy while visiting a mall in Santos, Brazil
Neymar will make his season debut Wednesday for Brazilian soccer club Santos, the team that gave him a break as a 17-year-old before he took the soccer world by storm
Mall-goers could not contain the excitement after they spotted Neymar’s doppelgänger
Neymar had asked a court to stop Oliveira from using the phrase ‘Ney’s look-alike’ after he was interviewed by a Mexican television network and pretended to be the soccer superstar.
Oliveira, who has 2.9 million followers on Instagram and a whopping 14.9 million on TikTok, has long drawn attention for his likeness to one of the world’s top soccer players.
He made headlines at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar when he fooled broadcasters into thinking he was the real deal.
Fox Soccer posted posted a clip of Oliveira walking around Doha and being mobbed by fans.
‘UPDATE: we got got,’ the broadcaster later posted.
Oliveira was then caught on television being mobbed by fans as they posed with him for pictures.
It’s unknown if Oliveira will be on hand Wednesday night, when Neymar takes the field for his reunion with Santos.
It’s where the player first captivated footballing audiences at the start of his career, bursting onto the scene as the next superstar to arise from Brazil.
Neymar is hoping to regain his form as one of the world’s top soccer players and a return to Brazil’s national team for the 2026 World Cup
A young fan was shocked when she spotted Neymar’s lookalike at a mall in Santos
The fake Neymar autographs a fan’s soccer jersey
After helping guide the club to a Copa Libertadores title in 2011, he departed Santos in 2013 to pursue a career at Barcelona.
In August 2023, Neymar signed a two-year deal with Saudi soccer club Al-Hilal, but injuries limited him to just 428 minutes of play during 18 months.
He agreed to a six-month contract with Santos, aiming to rejuvenate his career and secure a spot in Brazil’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.
