It’s a short dance. Neymar sits on a chair, moves his upper body to the melody that begins. First he points his index fingers down, then his thumbs up, and finally he forms the number two with both hands. Composite 22 – the number under which Jair Bolsonaro is running in the presidential election in Brazil.
The far-right incumbent, who has been head of state in Brazil since 2019, wants to be confirmed in office on Sunday. In Neymar he has found a prominent supporter who openly shares his sympathies with an audience of millions.
The video had 13 million views on TikTok by Saturday noon, and the star of Paris St. Germain has 8.5 million subscribers on the platform. Bolsonaro thanked Twitter for the free advertising. In view of his tricky situation during the election campaign, he could hardly have imagined it better.
Left challenger Lula da Silva is clearly ahead in the polls. A mood picture from Monday sees the 76-year-old with a share of the vote of 52 percent, Bolsonaro, who is nine years his junior, only 34 percent. A corresponding outcome would mean da Silva’s election victory in the first round. Other polls put da Silva at just under fifty percent, meaning a runoff would follow.
The election campaign in Brazil was characterized by deep polarization and was sometimes conducted on a personal level by the candidates. It is unclear whether Bolsonaro would acknowledge defeat. The President has already expressed doubts about the electoral system.
In any case, Neymar does not seem to be bothered by Bolsonaro’s attitudes – he described the corona pandemic as a “fantasy” among other things and drove deforestation in the Amazon region during his first term. The Brazilian international had already shown his appreciation in favor of Bolsonaro on Thursday. The 30-year-old thanked Bolsonaro for visiting a children’s center he founded in São Paulo. Brazil’s Communications Minister Fabio Faria and Bolsonaro’s son shared a corresponding video. A month ago, Bolsonaro published a photo with a ball – a gift from Neymar.
Neymar is the first current Brazil international to openly support one of the two favored candidates. Other less well-known players such as Rai (formerly Paris) or Juninho (formerly Olympique Lyon) had expressed sympathy for challenger da Silva.
