From Boom to Downsizing: How Neymar's NFTs Suffered a Drastic Decline in Value

When the NFT phenomenon peaked in 2021, Brazilian star Neymar was among the celebrities who embraced this new form of digital collecting the most. With over 90 digital artworks in his public portfolio on OpenSea, the forward perfectly represented the spirit of that season marked by skyrocketing prices and hopes of continuous appreciation. Yet, years later, the situation has changed dramatically.

Neymar’s NFT Collection: One of the Most Active Among Celebrities

The player’s OpenSea profile contains more than ninety digital artworks from renowned collections in the industry. However, the assets that drew the most attention remain two specific copies of the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), the famous series of ape illustrations with the same expression but different accessories and color tones.

His overall exposure in this collection niche required a significant investment: the player spent nearly 6 million R$ to acquire these two NFTs. For BAYC #6633, he paid $517,000 (about 2.7 million R$), an amount so substantial that he even used it as his Twitter profile picture for a time. For BAYC #5269, the investment was even higher: $613,000, equivalent to approximately 3.29 million R$.

Investment in Bored Apes: When the Market Was Still Euphoric

At that time, acquiring these NFTs was seen by many celebrities as a gesture of participation in the new tech trend and a bet on continued appreciation. Prices were driven by speculation, confidence in the sector’s potential, and the fashion effect surrounding the most acclaimed collections. Neymar, along with other public figures, believed these assets would maintain or increase their value over time.

Price Collapse: When Reality Confronts Expectations

The two NFTs from the BAYC collection are now valued at $30,000 (about 169,400 R$) and $35,100 (roughly 198,000 R$), based on the latest offers received and subsequently rejected by the owner. This represents a dramatic loss: the first token has dropped in value by 94%, while the second has contracted by 93%.

Although these quotes reflect the most recent market offers and may not represent the actual value in a concrete transaction, they still provide an indication of the market’s perception of these assets.

What Remains of the NFT Bubble: Market Lessons

Neymar’s NFT trajectory symbolizes a typical cycle of speculative bubbles: initial enthusiasm, celebrity adoption, increasingly inflated prices, and subsequent demand collapse. The phenomenon has given way to new trends like the metaverse and artificial intelligence, reducing media attention and, consequently, investor interest.

The story of this NFT portfolio offers a significant lesson on the volatility of digital assets still seeking solid economic fundamentals. For Neymar and others who invested heavily during the boom, the result has been a heavy devaluation that is unlikely to be recovered in the short term. The NFT bubble remains a fascinating chapter in the history of financial fads, useful for understanding the risks associated with investing in still-maturing technologies.