Fake Neymars Fool Fans More than Once

The World Cup has passed but there were many memorable moments and plenty of interesting moments involving fans. One incident that continues to happen is a fake Neymar confusing fans.

Back in early November, photos of what seemed to be fans surrounding, Brazil star Neymar in the stands went viral. The incident took place in the Stadium 974 where Brazil beat Switzerland 1-0. It was reported that fans got fooled when the man entered the stands with a bodyguard.

The confusion was cleared when the real player posted a photo to his Instagram story, of his foot wrapped in a compression boot propped up on a bed as he watched the game on TV.

This is not the first time that fans were fooled by the impersonator. Identified as Sosia Doney, the doppelganger has made a name for himself for fooling fans. He even fooled Fox Soccer as the news channel had posted a video on Twitter with the caption, “Neymar spotted walking around Doha.”

He currently has over a million followers on Instagram where he regularly posts videos of crowds confusing him for Neymar. So far, not much else has been reported on the impersonator.

However, Doney is not the only lookalike that has fooled fans. In the first week of December, another impersonator made the news by getting caught taking photos and signing autographs with fans.

The man was identified as Eigon Oliveira. When pretending to be Neymar, he sports Brazil's training uniform along with the same sunglasses and hat as the soccer star. It also looked like the man had some of Neymar’s tattoos. To help with his impersonation, he had a friend dressed up as a member of the Brazilian soccer confederation, while other friends often pretended to be his security guards.

During the reported autograph session, sources said that a Puma store in Doha had to temporarily close. Apparently, the scene was so chaotic, Oliveira had to be taken to the back of the store until the scene calmed down.  

This, however, was not a one time incident for Oliveira. In one match, some security personnel believed he was real deal and the doppelganger even made it down to the field. The trick has not always worked though, as in one match security ended up having to escort the lookalike out of the stands.

Aside from matches, the lookalike travelled the world to do his act. He even travelled to France where Neymar plays for Paris Saints-Germain.

Oliveira has several photos and videos of his impersonation and has over a million followers on Instagram and TikTok. Unlike Doney, Oliveira has shared that Neymar was fine with his impersonation.

According to a report, he stated, “"I'm blessed to have gotten this far with this job. I'm very thankful and I'm a fan of this guy who welcomes what I do with open arms. He changed my life in a gigantic way, giving me millions of possibilities and opportunities, and allowing me to go places and meet people that I would have never imagined going or meeting."

While Doney and Oliveira are not the first lookalikes for popular players, they are the ones to have gone viral and made headlines recently.