Brazilian soccer star Neymar finished in 2nd place at the $5,200 Titans Event over the weekend, winning $66,056. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

A talented individual

Some people just seem to be good at everything. In addition to being an international soccer superstar, Neymar is also a very good poker player. Professionals in the past have claimed that the Brazilian has the ability to compete at the top level of the game.

After suffering a serious injury last week while playing for his national side, Neymar now has some free time on his hands. The recovery could take as long as a year, so that’s a lot of free hours he now has to play poker.

59-player field at the PokerStars $5,200 Titan Event

It appears that he is wasting no time in doing so and at a high level. The 31-year-old took part in the 59-player field at the PokerStars $5,200 Titan Event over the weekend, coming close to victory before losing out to Lithuania’s Dominykas Mikolaitis in heads-up action. The soccer star still took home $66,056 for his second-place finish, which is his best-recorded result in a significant tournament.

In love with the game

Despite having a reported £129m ($158m) annual salary at Al Hilal, Neymar still likes getting stuck into the action at the poker tables. As poker pro Thomas Eychenne described to PokerNews, the Brazilian is not playing for fame or fortune, but for the thrill that winning brings. It’s clear that he has a talent for the game, having had numerous notable finishes in other significant events in recent years.

The São Paulo native played in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) for the first time last year.

His dedication to poker has led to strained relationships with certain managers and teammates. In February, he was criticized by his then Paris Saint-Germain teammate and French superstar Kylian Mbappé for going out to play poker into the early hours of the morning following a midweek Champions League loss against Bayern Munich. He even forewent celebrating with his team after winning the French soccer league last season to instead play poker in Monaco.

Plenty of time to focus on his interests

Neymar was playing against Uruguay in a World Cup qualification game last week when he suffered a serious knee injury, an ACL tear. He will be unavailable for the remainder of the season for his new club, despite his lucrative contract. He only played three league games for the Saudi side since joining in August for a reported €90m ($95.5m) from Paris Saint-Germain.

he also sometimes streams casino game content

Neymar does have many interests outside of the soccer space which will keep him occupied as he recovers in his native country. In addition to playing poker and being a PokerStars ambassador, he also sometimes streams casino game content on Twitch through his partnership with the Blaze gambling platform. He has been seen on live streams winning tens of thousands of dollars when playing roulette.