Neymar lands on the cover of Sports Illustrated

Barcelona star Neymar, who may be on the way to PSG, graces the cover of Sports Illustrated’s upcoming issue, subject of the magazine’s cover story.

The biggest soccer star in the world not named Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo has taken over the cover of Sports Illustrated. During the small window between MLB’s transfer deadline and the start to the NFL’s season, Sports Illustrated has gone with Neymar, the most idolized and notorious soccer player from the world’s most crazed soccer nation.

The magazine has wisely chosen to showcase Neymar in the Brazil national team jersey on the cover. The 25-year-old Brazilian has been the subject of intense transfer speculations all summer, as PSG have been rumored to offer Barcelona the entirety of Neymar’s $260 million buy-out clause. That is obviously an insane amount of money, and would shatter the previous transfer fee record of $130 million, spent by Manchester United last summer on Paul Pogba.

Neymar has just finished a series of preseason friendlies played under the auspices of the International Champions Cup, which culminated with last Saturday’s El Clasico in Miami. A cloud of tension has hovered over Barcelona’s preseason training, as the future of the Brazilian star at the club has hangs in balance.

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The Sports Illustrated article is an in-depth look at Neymar’s rise over the last years, his candid personality and general joie de vivre. This is the second time this year that the Brazilian has been chosen ahead of the game’s two other bonafide stars, Messi and Ronaldo, as Neymar featured among TIME Magazine’s top 100 most influential people.

Whatever color jersey Neymar will be wearing at the club level in the upcoming season is still very much up in the air.  One thing is for certain, with his unique personality the Brazilian star has become a media darling.