DOHA, Qatar (AP) — As Neymar was about to make his World Cup comebackanother was going home after a brief and tumultuous stint in Qatar.
The real Neymar has recovered from an ankle injury and was expected to play against South Korea in the round of 16 on Monday, while his double he was leaving the country after causing havoc with his public appearances.
Eigon Oliveira, who calls himself “the Ney lookalike”, was busy during his time in Qatar, where he garnered a lot of attention making appearances impersonating Neymar.
It was hard to tell the difference between the real Neymar and the look-alike when Oliveira donned Brazil’s training kit and wore similar sunglasses, cap and beard to the Brazil star.
He also appears to have the same tattoos as Neymar, and was usually accompanied by a friend who dressed as a Brazilian soccer confederation staff member. Some of his friends also often acted as his security guards.
A Puma store in Doha had to temporarily close when Oliveira visited and attracted hundreds of fans. They had to take him to the back of the store until things calmed down.
There were also problems when the double came to one of the matches of the World Cup in Brazil., as fans clamored for autographs and a photo. Some of the Brazil players on the field before the game looked up to see what was going on. Security eventually escorted the double away.
Before one of the games, Oliveira managed to reach the field as some security guards apparently thought it was actually Neymar.
Oliveira has 1 million followers on Instagram and is close to that same mark on TikTok. He records most of his stunts and posts them on his social media accounts, where they quickly go viral.
Being Neymar’s double has become a job for Oliveira. He has traveled the world imitating the player, including to France, where Neymar plays for Paris Saint-Germain. He earns money by appearing with him and acting as the player’s double in commercial shoots.
He told the Brazilian media that it all started when he was working as a waiter in a restaurant in Brazil and people started talking about his resemblance to the real Neymar, which led to him being hired by an agency.
He has met Neymar several times during some of his commercial recordings and said that the player was fine with him acting as his double.
“I never imagined this moment,” he said in a recent post. “I am lucky to have come this far with this work. I am very grateful and I am a fan of this boy who welcomes what I do with open arms. He changed my life in gigantic ways, giving me millions of possibilities and opportunities, and allowing me to go places and meet people I never imagined going or meeting.”
Oliveira said he plans to return to Qatar for the semifinals if Brazil advances, so there could be more chaos caused by the Neymar resemblance before the World Cup ends.
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